B. OsanoAFCON2023: Andre Ayew eyes history with 8th tournament appearance, aims to surpass Rigobert Song’s record
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Reading Time: 2min | Tue. 02.01.24. | 12:08
Ayew's first stab at dismantling Song's record could land on Sunday, 14 January 2024 when they face Cape Verde in their group opener at Félix Houphouët Boigny Stadium, Abidjan
Rigobert Song's long-standing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) record of most games played will be under serious threat at the Ivory Coast showpiece kicking off in two weeks.
For a while now, the legendary Cameroon's Indomitable Lions’ defender has held the record for the most AFCON games played with 36 fixtures under his belt, but Ghana's Andre Ayew could soon eclipse it.
He is just 3 games away from becoming the player with the most games played in AFCON history.
— The Chatroom Experience (@ChatroomExp1) January 1, 2024
Current record held by Cameroon coach Rigobert Song [36] games
Andre Ayew 34.
Ahmed Hassan 32
Seydou Keira 31.
All players in the top 10 games played have retired. #AFCON2023 #AFCON pic.twitter.com/2u520GlFjU
Ayew, 34, is going for his 8th AFCON in Ivory Coast - having debuted in the tournament in 2008 and only missed the 2013 edition.
Ayew, who plays as a winger or forward for Ligue 1 club Le Havre and serves as captain for the Ghana national team, has appeared 34 times in the AFCON for the Black Stars and is just two games shy of eclipsing Song's 36 games tally, the highest so far for any player.
Interestingly, there's no AFCON title in all of Ayew's appearances, so far.
Conversely, Song, who is now the head coach of the Indomitable Lions boasts two AFCON titles and is considered one of the tournament's greats.
Ghana is in Group B of the finals along with record seven times champions Egypt, Cape Verde, and Mozambique.
Ayew's first stab at dismantling Song's record could land on Sunday, 14 January 2024 when they face Cape Verde in their group opener at Félix Houphouët Boigny Stadium, Abidjan
In the annals of AFCON history, Ayew finds himself among the elite, with Ahmed Hassan at 32 games and Seydou Keita at 31 who have since retired from active football.
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