The ranking was released by France Football Magazine, who were the organisers of the African Footballer of the Year.
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Liberia’s President George Oppong Weah who is the only African player to win the FIFA Player of the Year and the Ballon d’Or (European best at the time) topped the list, with Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o Fils taking the second place, with his compatriot Roger Milla in third place.
Abedi Pele came fourth, while he was followed by former Olympique Marseille and Chelsea striker Didier Drogba.
Rabah Madjer, Jay Jay Okocha, Mustapha Dahleb, Salif Keita, and Laurent Pokou completed the Top 10.
Ayew who won the Africa Cup of Nations with Ghana in 1982 joined French side Olympique Marseille un 1987 and he was a key figure in their golden generation.
Marseille reached the final of the 1991 UEFA Champions League and lost on penalties against Red Star Belgrade.
However, they made amends in 1993 with Abedi Pele in the thick of event- the Ghanaian inspired Marseille to a 1-0 win as his corner kick was head home by Frenchman Basile Boli against AC Milan.
Abedi Pele became the first African player to win the African Footballer of the Year three consecutive times- 1991, 1992 and 1993.
Abedi was also rated fifth in the Top 30 African Footballers in the last 50 years released by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) in 2007.
France Football Magazine are the organisers of the Ballo d’Or, which is one of the most prestigious awards in football across the globe.