The striker joined Marseille as an academy player at age 13, before going on to make 111 appearances for the Ligue 1 giants – scoring a total of 14 goals.
The 31-year-old who graduated from the academy to play for the senior team before moving to England revealed it was difficult leaving family behind at that tender age.
According to the Ghana international he made the decision with the blessing of his dad before joining the academy even though his mum was not in support.
After spending some days at the academy, he decided to quit and come home.
Ayew was sharing his journey with the club’s website from France to the Premier League.
“My mum didn’t want me to stay there because she felt I was not ready, but my dad said: ‘Listen, just let him go for one or two years.’ She was not happy, because she wanted me to come back home. I went when I was 14 – and didn’t come back until I was 23!” Ayew remembers.
“It was a massive change. I was sad – honestly, after four months I called my mum and said: ‘I want to come home, I cannot do it.’ My dad said: ‘You are not coming home. You made a decision and you need to honour that decision.’”
Hearts of Oak is interested in signing Gold Stars trio Ibrahim Laar, Augustine Randolf and Michael Ampadu according to a report by Asempa FM.
The Phobians are in search of new forward to replace Daniel Afriyie-Barnieh who is yet to pen a new deal with the club.
Laar has been identified as a suitable replacement by the scouting team.
The center-forward has scored four goals in eight matches in the Ghana Premier League this season.
His inclusion will be a big boost to the team as Hearts of Oak are short of attackers upfront.
Ibrahim Laar is contracted to Bibiani Gold Stars until 2024.
Augustine Randolf is also seen as a replacement for former captain Fatawu Mohammed.
Hearts of Oak have parted ways with Fatawu Mohammed and are looking to sign a replacement when the transfer window opens.
Randolf will be a priority signing for the Ghanaian giants if they are able to agree with Bibiani Gold Stars.
Randolf, a former Bechem United defender, joined Karela in September 2020 and is heading to the final year of his contract with the club.
Legon Cities’ right-back Michael Ampadu is another option for the Phobians are considering in case they miss out on Randolf who also has multiple suitors.
Hearts of Oak will look to pick up where they left off when they play Nsoatreman FC in their first match following the World Cup break.
The arrival of Serbian Slavko Matic as coach provided a breath of fresh air to the club, resulting in a five-game unbeaten streak before the league was halted to allow Ghanaians to focus on the 2022 World Cup.
The World Cup is over, and attention has returned to domestic football, with Hearts of Oak looking for a win away from home that could propel them into the top four.
The Phobians won three of their last five games before the break and are fully confident of defeating Nsoatreman, who lost 3-0 to Bechem United in their last match.
That defeat could have an impact on their season, and a strong performance against Hearts of Oak would help to erase the negative experience in Bechem.
The newcomers have outperformed expectations, currently in the top half of the table after eight games, but the job is far from done with a long season ahead of them.
It’s critical that they maintain their focus and play their hearts out, as they have done in previous games, as they have four wins, one less than surprise league leaders Bibiani Gold Stars.
Nsoatreman could go top of the league on Tuesday if they defeat Hearts of Oak at Nana Kronmansah Park in Nsoatre.
Gambia coach Tom Saintfiet is under the radar of the Belgium Football Federation as the next manager of the national team.
The Black Stars target is one of the options being considered by Belgium following the resignation of Roberto Martinez after a disastrous World Cup.
Saintfiet is also on the list of names the Ghana Football Association have earmarked as possible replacement for Otto Addo, who stepped down after the tournament in Qatar.
The Belgium trainer is currently under contract with the Gambia national team. A deal that will expire in 2026.
However, the former Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Yemen, Togo, Bangladesh and Malawi coach could be set for his biggest adventure with either Ghana or Belgium.
According to reports in the European country, Saintfiet’s experience at the international stage makes his the ideal option and the fact that he is a Belgian.
Other names that are also making rounds in Belgium Michel Preud’homme Vincent Kompany, Hei Vanhaezebrouck, Wouter Vrancken.
Imagine what it [his partnership with Lionel Messi] means for Julian Alvarez, when he looks at that picture and thinks ‘that was 10 years ago and now I am playing with the best player in the world at a World Cup’.
What a moment for Julian.
He looks so mature and I am so pleased in the way he has been playing. He was on the bench, Erling Haaland was playing more games and he was always waiting for that chance.
I saw Pep [Guardiola] during pre-season in the USA and I asked him about Julian and he said ‘I am so happy with him, he is an incredible guy and works really hard’.
In this World Cup he did not start in the first game, but then the manager gave him a chance and he took it really well. Now he has scored four goals and was one of the best players on the field in the semi-final. Well done for him.
Morocco’s coach Walid Regragui said on Tuesday that reaching the World Cup semifinal was not enough for his history-making side and that he hoped to cause an “upset” in their match against reigning champions France on Wednesday.
This is the first time that an Arab and African nation has made it to the semifinal of football’s biggest event in the 92-year history of the tournament.
“We are playing the world champions with many world-class players and a very good coach,” the former national team player told reporters, adding that he wanted to “get rid of the mentality” of remaining satisfied with just reaching a certain level in the tournament.
“We will show great desire and try to pull off an upset. Why not reach the final of the World Cup? We can dream, it doesn’t cost you anything to have dreams,” he added, accompanied by midfielder Ilias Chair.
Morocco coach Walid Regragui and Ilias Chair during the news conference [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters]
The coach, who once played for French team Toulouse, said the team was still “hungry” for more success despite not being “favourites” to lift the trophy.
“I don’t know if it will be enough … I know we are not favourites but we are confident,” Regragui added. “We’re going to fight to move on, for the African nations, for the Arab world.”
Morocco defeated top European teams Belgium, Spain and Portugal en route to the semifinal, having conceded only once, and that via an own goal.
Prior to their stunning success in Qatar, the first World Cup held in a Middle Eastern country, the team had reached the knockout stages only once in 1986, when it was eliminated in the round of 16 by Portugal.
The 47-year-old said having “team spirit” was going to be key to preparing for the match tactically and mentally on Wednesday.
“Everyone wants to give their best in every game. We play a collective game with a good spirit,” Regragui said. “For me, that is the most important thing in football.”
The Morocco manager also said the country’s supporters, who have been among the most vocal and visible at the World Cup, will be “very important” for his side’s chance of success on Wednesday.
“We have the best fans in the world … maybe [together] with the Argentinian and Brazilian fans, they are crazy guys,” he said. “They are people who travel from anywhere in the world to support their country.”
“We’re going to play like being at home and that’s the most important thing in the world.”
Chair said it was a “great honour” to play in front of the Moroccan fans and he and his teammates wanted to make them “proud”.
Several key Atlas Lions players, including defender Roman Saisse, are injured and may miss the clash against Les Blues.
However, their French-born manager said the team had an “excellent medical staff” that was providing him with “good news every day”.
“We will have to wait until the last minute. No one is out but no one is definitely in either,” he added.
The semifinal will be played at Al-Bayt Stadium in Al Khor at 10pm local time (19:00 GMT).
Modric is the first player to score three penalties in shootouts at the World Cup (also netting against Denmark and Russia in 2018).
In 90 or 120 minutes, Messi has the edge. He has scored four goals and assisted two, while Modric has yet to record a goal or an assist – however Messi plays up front, while Modric operates in midfield.
Barcelona legend Messi scored a penalty against Saudi Arabia, scored and assisted a goal against Mexico and had a penalty saved against Poland in the group stage.
He scored the opener against Australia in the last 16 and assisted the opening goal against the Netherlands in the quarter-final, before scoring from the spot in the 73rd minute – and again in the shootout.
Speaking on BBC One, Martin Keown said: “Lionel Messi just keeps producing. It was a really quality penalty. He is in top form. His confidence and belief is flowing through his colleagues.”
Following Argentina’s victory over Australia, fellow former England defender Rio Ferdinand said: “The best individual performance from a player at this World Cup. It was almost god-like. I’ve not seen anything like this.”
And former Argentina team-mate Pablo Zabaleta said: “I think Messi knows that this is his last World Cup and you can really see that he is enjoying it.”
Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Modric caught Micah Richards’ eye in Croatia’s quarter-final against Brazil.
“We thought it would be his last World Cup,” the ex-England defender said on BBC One. “Some of the passes he made, controlling the tempo – he dictated at his pace and Brazil didn’t know what to do.”
Modric was replaced before the penalties in Croatia’s last-16 shootout win over Japan – but stayed on against Brazil.
“Again, Luka led for 120 minutes and was at the head of the team,” Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic said. “It is unbelievable how he plays for his age, and he was not tired.
“When we fell behind, we were thinking of replacing a midfield player and asked him what his situation was. He said he was still fully ready. He showed again that he is one of the best players in the world.”
Messi has had more shots (25) and efforts on target (12) than anybody else in the World Cup – with France’s Kylian Mbappe, his Paris St-Germain team-mate, second on both counts. Mbappe leads him 5-4 in the race for the Golden Boot.
Only four players have made more successful passes in the final third than Modric’s 201; Messi is eighth on the list with 171. Modric has made the fifth-most crosses, 28, in the tournament.
Modric has also impressed further back on the pitch, with only two players having won possession more times (39) or made more interceptions (eight) than the Croat.
In the much less scientific BBC Sport player ratings, as selected by our readers, Messi’s average over five games is 7.01, with Modric on 7.46.
Both won the Golden Ball, the award for the tournament’s best player, in the process. And both have potential milestones to reach in Tuesday’s game.
Messi will equal Lothar Matthaus’ record for the most World Cup appearances (25). He would then break the German’s record at the weekend in either the final or the third-place play-off.
Messi has scored 10 World Cup goals. Only seven players have managed more – with Germany’s Miroslav Klose top on 16. He is just one behind Hungary’s Sandor Kocsis and German Jurgen Klinsmann, and two behind Pele.
He already holds the record for most assists in World Cup knockout games, passing Brazil great Pele’s old record of four in their last game.
Messi has both scored and assisted a goal in three different World Cup matches, including two this year. Since that data was first recorded in 1966, no player has done so in four games.
He has scored 95 goals in 170 caps – both national records.
Modric has won a Croatia record 160 caps and scored 23 international goals.
Modric will become the oldest outfield player to start six games at one World Cup – beating Brazil wing-back Nilton Santos, who had just turned 37 in 1962.
He has made the most World Cup appearances (17) and most appearances at major tournaments (30) for Croatia – before this semi-final.
Messi has one Copa America to show for his international career, while Modric has yet to win a trophy.
There is also a nice symmetry between the players’ careers. Messi scored his first Argentina goal and Modric made his Croatia debut in the same game – a friendly between the sides in March 2006, which Croatia won 3-2.
How about their overall careers?
This semi-final will be the 1,002nd game of Messi’s career for club and country. He has scored 790 goals and made 339 assists.
Modric’s career figures are more difficult to be certain of with spells in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina for Dinamo Zagreb, Zrinjski Mostar and Inter Zapresic not as well documented.
Both have won the Ballon d’Or, Messi seven times and Modric in 2018. Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo and France striker Karim Benzema are the only other players to win it since 2007.
Modric has won five Champions Leagues to Messi’s four – while both have won league titles in two countries.
Morocco became the first African country to reach the semifinal of the FIFA World Cup following their 1-0 win over Portugal.
Youssef En-Nesyri got the only goal in a dramatic 1-0 win at Al Thumama and denied Portugal what would have been a place in the last four for the first time for 16 years.
Morocco, who had substitute Walid Cheddira sent off late on finished the game with 10-men.
The North African side held onto their lead in the first half as Portugal chased for the equalizer throughout the second half with star player Cristiano Ronaldo coming on as a substitute.
Morocco has set up a semifinal against either France or England at Al-Bayt Stadium on Wednesday, where they will again be supported by a fierce crowd who roared them past Portugal.
Fifa says it is “deeply saddened” following the reported death of a migrant worker at a World Cup facility in Qatar.
The Filipino national fell to his death while carrying out repairs at a resort used as a training base by the Saudi Arabian team, The Athletic reported.external-link
Football’s world governing body said it had been made aware of an accident, without giving details of the incident.
It added it was in touch with the local authorities to request more details.
“Fifa is deeply saddened by this tragedy and our thoughts and sympathies are with the worker’s family,” it said.
“Fifa will be in a position to comment further once the relevant processes in relation to the worker’s passing have been completed.”
Qatar’s treatment of migrant workers has been one of the main controversies overshadowing the build up to the World Cup.
A report by the Guardian newspaper last year said 6,500 migrant workers had died in Qatar since the country was awarded the World Cup in 2010.
That figure has been rejected by the Qatari authorities, who say there have been three work-related deaths in construction related directly to the tournament, and a further 37 non work-related deaths.
World Cup officials say a number of reforms to improve the health and safety standards for migrant workers have been implemented in recent years, and that they are “committed” to making more improvements as a legacy of the tournament.
Human rights organisations and a number of football associations whose countries are involved in the tournament say they will “continue to press” Qatar and Fifa to establish a compensation fund for migrant workers and their families, as well as the establishment of a migrant worker centre in Doha.
Black Stars assistant coach Mas-Ud Didi Dramani has described Ghana’s participation in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar as a learning platform rather than “focusing on performance in only short-term events.”
Ghana failed to reach the semi-finals, which was their target going to Qatar, as they exited the tournament in the first round.
They began their campaign with a thrilling match against Portugal, which the four-time African champions lost 3-2 on November 24.
Ghana bounced back from their opening loss by defeating South Korea by the same scoreline four days later.
Ghana found themselves in a strong position to advance to the knockout stage after defeating the Koreans.
They needed a draw or a win against Uruguay in their final group game, but they were defeated 2-0, effectively ending their tournament.
Otto Addo stepped down after the defeat against Uruguay, and the technical team is expected to be disbanded with a new one formed early next year.
