Black Stars captain Andre Ayew has revealed that he had to learn from previous leaders to become the captain of the team.
According to Ayew, he spent six years serving as a deputy to former captain Asamoah Gyan before taking over the armband.
"I was already Asamoah's assistant for about six years. When you know that [you can become a captain], sooner or later it's going to happen. So you just need to prepare yourself and learn from Asamoah, who was the captain," Ayew stated.
Ayew, who was speaking as the guest lecturer for the Sports Psychology class of 2024 at the University of Ghana, emphasized the importance of being prepared for the challenges that come with being a leader, including media scrutiny.
"It's always an issue. That is why I say you have to know the society in which you are, the mentality of your country. How people see things, how people understand things, it's very important," he said.
Ayew also acknowledged that the Black Stars captaincy will always be a topic of debate in Ghanaian society.
"The captaincy in our country will always be a debate sooner or later. The next one who is coming will be another debate. That is how it is. Anybody who is going to be the leader should be ready for that because you can't take it away," he added.
Ayew's comments come amidst reports of an alleged lingering battle with Gyan over the Black Stars captaincy, which started as far back as 2017 and reached its crescendo in 2019 when Gyan threatened to retire from the national team in the lead-up to the AFCON.
