Jordan Ayew

Jordan Pierre Ayew (born 11 September 1991) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Crystal Palace and the Ghana national team.  He is the son of former Ghana captain Abedi Pele and brother of André Ayew, who plays for Swansea City. 

Club career

Marseille

Ayew joined Marseille as a trainee in 2006.  He signed a three-year professional contract with Marseille in 2009.  Jordan Ayew made his debut for the senior team on 16 December 2009 in a league match, scoring the equaliser against Lorient.  Marseille went on to win the match 2–1. 
Ayew scored his second goal against Nice at the Stade Vélodrome on 27 April 2011 in a match which saw his elder brother André Ayew score a hat-trick.  On 1 November 2011, Jordan and André both started a UEFA Champions League match for the first time against Premier League outfit Arsenal. 

On 6 January 2014, he joined Ligue 1 rivals Sochaux on a loan deal until the end of the 2013–14 season. 

Lorient
On 28 July 2014, Ayew signed a four-year contract with Lorient.  Ayew explained the style and quality of play that Lorient proposed was the reason behind the decision. 

Aston Villa
On 27 July 2015, Ayew joined Aston Villa on a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee, reported to be in the region of £8 million.  He scored his first goal for the club on 24 October 2015 against his elder brother's club, Swansea City, in the 62nd minute.  Aston Villa were relegated at the end of the 2015–16 season, winning only 17 points, but Ayew did end the season as their top scorer, albeit with just seven goals. 

Swansea City
On 31 January 2017, Jordan Ayew joined Swansea City until the end of the 2019–20 season in exchange for Welsh International defender Neil Taylor, plus a fee from Swansea that can rise to £5 million if undisclosed future conditions are met.  Jordan's elder brother was a Swansea City player during the 2015–16 season and later joined him in the winter transfer window of 2018. 

Crystal Palace
On transfer deadline day 2018, Ayew joined Crystal Palace on loan for the 2018–19 season. 

2019–20 season 
On 25 July 2019, Ayew made the move permanent with a £2.5m transfer from Swansea City on a three-year deal.  Ayew scored his first goal of the season on 24 August 2019 against Manchester United at Old Trafford, netting the opener in the first half against the run of play, latching on to Jeffrey Schlupp's flick-on as Crystal Palace secured an historic 2–1 victory. 

On Boxing Day 2019, Ayew scored the match winner in stoppage time as Crystal Palace came from behind to defeat West Ham 2–1.  It was Ayew's 21st goal in the Premier League with 20 having been scored in the second half (95%) - the highest such ratio of any player with 20+ goals in the competition's history. 

On the 29th of February, Ayew scored an important late winner against Palace rivals Brighton and Hove Albion, the game ended 0-1 to Palace.  This marked the first Premier League win at the Amex Stadium for Crystal Palace. 

International career
Ayew made his first senior appearance for Ghana on 5 September 2010, in a 3–0 2012 AFCON Qualification match win against Swaziland, at the Somhlolo National Stadium in Lobamba, Swaziland.  On 1 June 2012, Ayew scored his first and second international goals in a 2014 World Cup qualification match win against Lesotho, at the Kumasi Sports Stadium in Kumasi, Ghana.  In December 2011, Ayew was named to the Ghana national team provisional 25-man squad for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, and in January 2012 he was selected for the tournament's 23-man squad. 

In June 2014, he was included in the Ghanaian squad for the 2014 World Cup.  In Ghana's last warm-up match before the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil on 9 June 2014, Ayew came on as a first-half substitute for the injured Majeed Waris and ended up scoring a hat-trick in a 4–0 victory over South Korea. 

Jordan Ayew was part of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations team in Equatorial Guinea that took a silver medal as result of losing out to Ivory Coast on a penalty shoot out whom they clinch the African Cup, which occurred on 8 February 2015. 

Personal life
Ayew is the son of Maha Ayew and Abedi Pele.  His father, uncles Kwame and Sola, and brothers André and Ibrahim are all current or former professional footballers as well as a sister, Imani.  Ayew is a practising Muslim.  He is married to Denise Acquah and they have two children. 

Career statistics

Club

International

International goals
Scores and results list Ghana's goal tally first. 

Honours
Marseille
Ligue 1: 2009–10
Coupe de la Ligue: 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12
Trophée des Champions: 2010, 2011

References

External links

Jordan Ayew at OM.net

Category:1991 births
Category:Living people
Category:French people of Ghanaian descent
Category:Ghanaian Muslims
Category:Sportspeople from Marseille
Category:French footballers
Category:Ghanaian footballers
Category:Association football forwards
Category:AS Lyon-Duchère players
Category:Olympique de Marseille players
Category:FC Sochaux-Montbéliard players
Category:FC Lorient players
Category:Aston Villa F.C. players
Category:Swansea City A.F.C. players
Category:Crystal Palace F.C. players
Category:Ligue 1 players
Category:Premier League players
Category:English Football League players
Category:Ghana under-20 international footballers
Category:Ghana international footballers
Category:2012 Africa Cup of Nations players
Category:2014 FIFA World Cup players
Category:2015 Africa Cup of Nations players
Category:2017 Africa Cup of Nations players
Category:2019 Africa Cup of Nations players
Category:Naturalized citizens of France
Category:Ghanaian expatriate footballers
Category:Ghanaian expatriate sportspeople in France
Category:Ghanaian expatriate sportspeople in England
Category:Ghanaian expatriate sportspeople in Wales
Category:Expatriate footballers in France
Category:Expatriate footballers in England
Category:Expatriate footballers in Wales