The 1992 Black Stars squad was overrated – Ghana legend Abedi Pele

Former Ghana captain Abedi Pele believes the 1992 national team was not as strong as previously thought.

The 1992 African Cup of Nations squad, which included the football legend himself along with Tony Yeboah, Emmanuel Armah, Eddie Ansah and Kwesi Appiah, among others, is considered as one of the best generations of players the nation has ever produced.

But the team sadly was not able to win any major silverware and failed to qualify for the Fifa World Cup, despite their huge status on the African continent.

However, speaking to E TV, the three-time African Footballer of the Year sought to downplay that suggestion, saying the 1992 squad was overvalued.

“I think we had a strong team, but not as strong as people really think it was,” Pele said. “We had characters who really never wanted to lose, who were really mentally strong and who wanted to win everything. So that made us look very, very good.”

Pele explained that there is a difference between having great players and a great team, saying, “Do you see a bunch of generation stronger than the Ivorian national team today? The Didier Drogba’s, Yaya Toure and the likes? What have they won? So it happens.”

“But I tell you if you have a team like the Ivorian national team, you can have great players but to have a great team is another thing.”

Despite Pele’s insistence, many local commentators have in the past pointed to a general lack of team unity as the main reason for the side’s failure. However, the 'soccer maestro' insists team spirit was not lacking in the camp of the Black Stars at the time.

“No. I think with the characters we had, we did not lack team spirit because team spirit is just natural,” he said.

“The egos are there and the egos tend to be strong. If you don’t have ego you can’t win anything. Hey! You can’t be a leader, you must have it.

“If you have the ego, you can be a fighter, you will be someone who wants to achieve it all,” he noted.

Pele was controversially handed the team captaincy prior to the African Nations Cup in Senegal 1992. The Ghana FA stripped Kwesi Appiah off the team’s armband with the excuse that Abedi could communicate well in both the French and English languages.

Many feel the decision by the FA caused a major rift among the players which ultimately had a negative effect on the team's output in subsequent outings.

However, Pele believes there was nothing wrong with the manner in which the FA managed the captaincy row.

“Well, I don’t know how better they would have liked things to be. But I think Kwesi has been my closest friend and we all arrived in the national team on the same day so I don’t know what they are talking about.

“If they are saying so, well for now it all belongs to the past so I don’t like us to go back to that anymore. I think we just have to leave it to rest and look for the future,” the 1993 Uefa Champions League winner said.