Black Stars striker Jordan Ayew has attributed his career success to French Ligue one outfit Marseille.
The 25-year-old who joined Marseille as a trainee in 2006, signed a three-year professional contract with the former French Champions in 2009.
Ayew has since moved on to English Premier League side Swansea City following in the steps of his elder brother Andre.
In an interview with Swanseacity.net, Jordan recalled how helpful Marseille have been to his development as a player.
“When I was 16 I signed a pre-contract which said I would turn professional with Marseille when I turned 18,” he recalls, “and I stayed with the club until I was 22 years old. “I enjoyed my time with Marseille. A big part of where I am today is because of them. They have given everything to me and I owe a lot to the club. I am so grateful to them for that. “I first went to the academy when I was 14 years old. They took care of me right through until the time when I left. “They made me grow up as a man. Who I am today is 65 or 70 per cent because of them.”
For Ayew, saying goodbye to Marseille was tough. But a tally of 48 league starts between his debut, in December 2009, and the point when he moved on, in early 2014, convinced him that change was needed for the sake of his career.