AFCON 2023: Ghana’s Andre Ayew Poised to Make History, Eyes Two Competition Records

• The Africa Cup of Nations is set to kick off in Ivory Coast on January 13
• Ghana’s Black Stars are set to commence their campaign against Cape Verde
• Captain Andre Ayew is set to break two records at the showpiece in Ivory Coast

The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) countdown continues to herald the continent's footballing scenes.

Several nations are poised to make their mark on the biennial football tournament, with the 34th edition scheduled for Ivory Coast.

Ghana is one such team in desperate need of a near-perfect performance in the tournament.

The Black Stars have been yearning for notable success since their runner-up finish in Equatorial Guinea in 2015. Furthermore, Ghana are yet to taste AFCON glory since their last triumph in Libya in 1982, per data courtesy of Fotmob.

In the quest to rewrite their history, Chris Hughton’s team pins their hopes of success on the leadership of their talismanic forward, Andre Ayew.

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Nonetheless, ahead of the showdown, the 34-year-old Ayew could see himself etching his name into the competition history books, as he has a few records within reach.

Ayew to rewrite AFCON history

According to data provided by Opta Jose, the Ghana captain is poised to make his mark in AFCON history by becoming the third player to participate in eight editions of the tournament, should he feature during the upcoming competition.

This achievement will place Ayew in an exclusive group alongside the likes of Cameroon's legendary Rigobert Song and former Egyptian attacker, Ahmed Hassan, both of whom also graced the tournament on eight occasions in their playing careers.

In addition to this milestone, Ayew has the opportunity to create even more AFCON history by becoming the first player ever to score in seven different AFCON tournaments if he finds the back of the net in the upcoming competition.

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Ghana will kick off their AFCON campaign against West African nation, Cape Verde, on January 14.

Top forwards ahead of AFCON

Sports Brief, in a previous report, highlighted a list of top attackers to keep close tabs on ahead of the AFCON tournament.

Senegalese forward Sadio Mane, Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen and Mohamed Salah top this list.

Cameroon’s Vincent Aboubakar was the AFCON top scorers' award winner at the previously held edition of the competition in 2022.