Crystal Palace striker Jordan Ayew has revealed there is always pressure to even surpass the success chalked by his father Abedi Ayew Pele.
The 29-year-old recorded his best campaign in Europe last season, scoring 9 goals in the Premier League to become Ghana’s all-time leading scorer in England with 25 goals, one better than Leeds United cult here Tony Yeboah.
Ayew in the process swept Crystal Palace’s top awards at the end of the season gong.
The former Swansea City and Aston Villa striker says trying to make his own history comes with a huge pressure following the achievement of his father in the sport.
“There is pressure with being an Ayew, of course,” Ayew told the Daily Mail. “Whenever you go somewhere, people just say, ‘It’s because of his dad’. Do I ever think my career would have been easier if I wasn’t an Ayew? It would certainly have been different.”
“People back home expect a lot from us,” he says. “Sometimes when I play for the national team, I see my family in the stadium and I see their faces — it’s like they have more pressure than us.
“Sometimes my mum and aunties can’t watch because they hear the comments of people around them — it’s just a football game.
“I’m really proud to be part of this family. Dad has raised the bar so high.”