A former Communications Director of the Ghana Football Association, Dr Randy Abbey has revealed that he was always filled with tears whenever Ex-Ghanaian international Abedi Ayew Pele got injured during his active days as a footballer.
According to Dr Abbey, he developed unconditional love for the three-time African best football growing up and always made a task to visit the Abedi Pele roundabout in Tamale which became a ritual for him.
“Anytime I get to Tamale, there is something I always do but this time I couldn’t do it. I go past the Abedi Pele roundabout. This time I couldn’t do it but it’s a ritual for me. When I was younger, whenever Abedi got injured, I cried. It was that infectious. I grew up and he became a big fan of mine”, he said on Good Morning Ghana.
Abedi Pele was named the African Footballer of the Year three consecutive times (1991, 1992 and 1993) and also became the first Ghanaian to have won the UEFA Champions League with Olympique Marseille in 1993.
Pele shot to fame when he joined French giants Olympique Marseille in 1987, having already had stints with Al Sadd in Qatar, Zurich in Switzerland, Chamois Niortais F.C and FC Mulhouse in the French lower-tier.
He went on to play in Italy and Germany and the United Arab Emirates.
After retiring in 2000, Pele went into football coaching and administration as the bankroller for Nania FC, a Division One League club in Ghana.
Ghana’s leading digital news platform, GhanaWeb, in conjunction with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, is embarking on an aggressive campaign which is geared towards ensuring that parliament passes comprehensive legislation to guide organ harvesting, organ donation, and organ transplantation in the country.
Dr Randy Abbey (left) and Abedi Pele