Ghana and Swansea forward Andre Ayew says he's always had pressure, expectancy to "deliver and lead" ever since he was a kid.
Ayew wore the captain's armband for the Black Satellites as he led the team to win the 2009 Fifa U-20 World Cup in Egypt and he currently leads the West African nation's senior team, having been handed the armband in May last year.
At club level, the 31-year-old is the current assistant captain of Championship side Swansea City.
“I’ve always had pressure, expectancy to deliver and lead – ever since I was a kid,” he told the club's official website.
“My dad was one of the best African footballers to have ever played, so the attention was then placed on me when I was growing up. I’ve always carried that pressure with me. I’ve had it all my career, so I am happy to take that role on here because it takes the focus and pressure off the young players and lets them thrive.
“I captained Ghana at under-20 level, I wore the band at Marseille a few times, and obviously now for Ghana’s senior team so I have good experience to pass on to the young guys in the team.
“I really enjoy it here in Swansea – on and off the pitch. It is far less stressful here!
He added, “In Ghana it is very different. You have to understand that people just want to touch you, to have a photograph with you because it means everything to them that they have one of their own succeeding. Football is what we Ghanaians love, so it’s normal that hundreds of people surround you because you’re a footballer that’s doing well in Europe. They look up to you, because you’re their pride."
“When we put on that Black Stars shirt, you are not playing for yourself – you are playing for a whole nation because you have to give the younger generation something to dream about and inspire them. Maybe it’s a little difficult for people over here to understand, but Ghanaian and African players have a lot of responsibility to inspire kids in our countries.”