Ghana and Crystal Palace striker Jordan Ayew has described Accra as his “home” and asserts that growing up there taught him discipline and humility.
Ayew was born in Marseille, France, but spent a lot of time with his grandparents in Accra, the capital of Ghana. Speaking about his childhood, the 31-year-old stated that growing up in Accra taught him life’s fundamentals, and he will always cherish the idea of returning there.
He mentioned that the familial system in Accra, where everyone feels the need to help and raise children, even if they are not directly related, shaped him. “I grew up with my grandparents. I can’t speak highly enough of Accra. It’s my home and I learned a lot of things – life’s basics: being disciplined and humble,” Ayew told Sky Sports.
“You get advice from your family, but also people from the neighborhood. They would point out when I wasn’t doing the right thing. It’s a different mentality from Europe. It helped shape who I am today. These are the people who started with me from the bottom, my real friends, and I always love coming back to see them,” he added.
Ayew is having an excellent start to the season with Crystal Palace, winning against Sheffield United (1-0) in the first matchday of the Premier League. A goal scored by Odsonne Édouard, assisted by the Ghanaian international. Unfortunately, the Glaziers couldn’t replicate this feat, as they were defeated by Arsenal (0-1) on Monday.
