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There are many axioms at play that lead to the chaos we witness in our lives daily so much that the world has become comfortable living in the reality of worthiness, for the most part, not leading to reward.
Many folks who deserve to be rewarded for their commitment, loyalty, sacrifice, ingenuity and sheer brilliance often miss out on reaping the fruits of their labour and since sports is a microcosm of society, the same fate often befall athletes and other key players in the space.
For starters, Jurgen Klopp deserved to win more than one English Premier League title considering the tremendous work he put in to build a brilliant team so good they eked every ounce of brilliance from the Greatest Coach of all Time, Pep Guardiola, to inch past Liverpool to multiple league titles. Klopp’s brilliance was super evident in Arne Slot scooping up the EPL title with little stress in the immediate season after he left Liverpool.
In a sea faring city as Liverpool is, Slot’s first chance to steer the Reds’ ship without the “Klopp Anchor” has been chaotic and largely uninspiring. Klopp deserved more than what he got as reward and the world sees it.
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup coming up, the day of reckoning is coming where players who deserve to be rewarded with places in the competition would end up with nothing in reward.
Monaco’s Ghanaian defender #22 Mohammed Salisu (L) sustains an injury during the French L1 football match between AS Monaco and Olympique Lyonnais (OL) (Photo by Valery HACHE / AFP via Getty Images)
Some would miss out on sheer bad luck because of injury as witnessed in the Jerry Akaminko case and with quite a handful of cases connected to the present iteration of Black Stars players with Mohammed Salisu, Francis Abu and Tariq Lamptey set to miss the competition while other players miss out due to bad timing in performance drop-off.
Black Stars head coach Otto Addo with Tariq Lamptey Photo Courtesy: GFA
There is also the bit about “PTC’s” where players miss out due to Politics and Tactics where coaches pick players who fit their system or their ego bracket where in cases the coach’s authority is threatened by the presence of a particular player or players, those players don’t get picked.
GRONINGEN – André Ayew of NAC Breda during the Dutch Eredivisie match between FC Groningen and NAC Breda at the Euroborg Stadium on January 10, 2026, in Groningen, Netherlands. COR LASKER / ANP (Photo by ANP via Getty Images)
There is a lot that goes into putting together a large group of athletes to accomplish a mission with a solid level of cohesion for the process to work. Now, the writer of this piece has been recorded stating that Andre Dede Ayew shouldn’t be part of the Black Stars squad that plays at this year’s World Cup even if his form improves and even if the squad number for each competing team increases.
As a former Black Stars captain, would Dede Ayew respect the new hierarchy of the team so much to not mess with the palpable sensitive team chemistry in the Black Stars? As a 36 year old, whose best days are clearly behind in a way that isn’t at par with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Luka Modric, yours truly has argued that it is best to fill the fringe spots of the Black Stars World Cup squad with young players who would be the catalysts for the next generation for the next World Cup.
Lionel Messi of Argentina controls the ball during the International Friendly match between Puerto Rico and Argentina (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The last point is super important since the most successful nation in World Cup history, Brazil, has implemented this system to power its record setting five World Cup title triumphs. Pele and Garrincha were 17 years old when they won the 1958 World Cup and both players (Garrinhca especially) got Brazil to win the 1962 edition with Pele fronting Brazil’s 1970 title win.
Brazilian footballer Pele (Edson Arantes do Nascimento) posed on right with Garrincha (Manuel Francisco dos Santos) both wearing Brazil national team uniform in 1962. (Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Ronaldo was 17 years when he won the 1994 World Cup and served as the centre piece of Brazil’s 2002 World Cup triumph. Beyond Brazil’s magnificent 2002 group that also had Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and Cafu, a young Kaka was part of that group.
FUSSBALL : WM 2002 in JAPAN und KOREA , Kobe , 17.06.02 Match 54 / ACHTELFINALE / BRASILIEN – BELGIEN ( BRA – BEL ) 2:0 RONALDO / BRA FOTO:BONGARTS/Gunnar-Berning
However, even with all these factors screaming against including Dede Ayew in Ghana’s World Cup squad, the indicators are clearly showing that the NAC Breda forward will go. This is so clear that even Ghana’s Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams has accepted this fate and here are the reasons why Dede Ayew will be in Canada and USA to play Ghana’s games against England, Panama and Croatia. (Click highlighted text to read full story)
Andre Ayew of NAC Breda during the Dutch Eredivisie match between FC Groningen v NAC Breda (Photo by Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images)
Otto Addo’s Weakened Position
It all starts and ends with the coach and everyone knows this just as every observer of the Black Stars knows Otto Addo’s technical position and moral authority to take strong, tough decisions have been weakened after failing to get Ghana to qualify to the 2025 AFCON and in an embarrassing fashion too. Prior to that campaign, Otto made strong bold decisions like making Mohammed Kudus the Black Stars captain and dropping Dede Ayew from the squad at a time where he was a regular scorer for Le Havre.
Otto Addo, Head Coach of Ghana before the FIFA World Cup Qatar (Photo by Richard Sellers/Getty Images)
After dropping Dede Ayew, he went on to state that he was building a squad for the next three years and needed young players for that purpose. Otto Addo also stated he saw others ahead of Dede Ayew in response to questions over Dede’s omission.
Otto Addo, Head Coach of Ghana, (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
Those were tough words but with the GFA shot callers saving Otto Addo from an expected sack after failing to make it to the AFCON, Otto Addo can’t maintain his stance on Dede Ayew when pressed on the subject and he will get pressed on the subject because of the next reason.
Dede Ayew’s Level of Activity
André Ayew of NAC Breda during the Dutch Eredivisie match between FC Groningen and NAC Breda COR LASKER / ANP (Photo by ANP via Getty Images)
Word on the streets of the Black Stars is that Dede Ayew is in the good books of the powers that be so much so, all that the veteran player needed to get back into frame for a return to the Black Stars was to play actively for a club. Whereas players like Brandon Thomas-Asante need to really stretch themselves to get a look-in, all Dede Ayew apparently needs to do is to just play whatever minutes in a professional game and that is exactly what he is doing.
Coventry City’s Brandon Thomas-Asante (Photo by Chris Radburn/PA Images via Getty Images)
Since joining NAC Breda in January after spending the first half of the 2025-2026 season without a club, Dede Ayew has played eight games and lasted the entire duration in three straight games at the time of writing. Even with no goals and assists, the indicators are clear that all Dede Ayew needed to get back into the Black Stars was to sign for a club and play with the bar being so low for him.
Andre Ayew of NAC Breda is challenged by Stije Resink of FC Groningen during the Dutch Eredivisie match between FC Groningen and NAC Breda (Photo by Pieter van der Woude/BSR Agency/Getty Images)
The World Cup Record
Riding on the point raised above, getting Dede Ayew to set another Black Stars related record is another reason his inclusion in the Black Stars for the 2026 World Cup is virtually a done deal.
Andre Ayew of Ghana reacts during the line up for the National anthems prior to kick off in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group H match between Ghana and Uruguay (Photo by Youssef Loulidi/Fantasista/Getty Images)
Should Dede Ayew play in the next World Cup, he gets to become the first Black Stars player to play in four different World Cups and also match Cameroon legend Rigobert Song as the African player with the most World Cup participation under his belt. With such a historic feat this near, this chance is definitely not going to waste.
