Khaberni - The career of Ghanaian striker Jordan Ayew epitomizes the harsh reality of football; on a sad night in 2026 at the "King Power" stadium, it wasn't just the tears of Leicester City fans that marked the scene, but the "record" Ayew set became the highlight.
Jordan Ayew, the Relegation Dean
With "the Foxes" drawing against Hull City (2-2), the relegation of the 2016 English champions to League One was confirmed, making Ayew one of the few players who experienced the bitterness of relegation six times across major leagues:
- Sochaux (2014) and Lorient (2015): Consecutive falls in the French league.
- Aston Villa (2016) and Swansea City (2018): Two relegations from the "Premier League" despite being the top scorer for both teams.
- Leicester City (2024 and 2026): Double drop with "the Foxes" from the top tier to League One within just two years.
However, if Ayew is the "dean of the relegated" in terms of total number, there is a Dutch player named Elvis Manu who beat everyone in the "density of misfortune"; as he suffered relegation six times within just seven seasons!
Manu moved around as a "reverse talisman" between the Netherlands (Go Ahead Eagles, Groningen), Turkey (Göztepe, Akhisar Belediyespor), China (Beijing Renhe), and Poland (Wisła Kraków), to the extent that in one year he experienced the bitterness of relegation in two different countries.
Relegation Specialists in the "Premier League"
While Ayew experienced relegation from several leagues, there are "specialists" within the Premier League itself who have etched their names as those who relegated from this competition specifically until 2026:
- 5 cases: Icelandic defender Hermann Hreidarsson and Welsh striker Nathan Blake hold the record of 5 relegations each. Hreidarsson did it with 5 different clubs, while Blake repeated it with 4 clubs.
- 4 cases: Names who long stood in the elite like goalkeeper Rob Green (most relegated goalkeeper), Sébastien Bassong, Nigel Quashie, and Curtis Davies.
- 3 cases: Notably, goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, who suffered three relegations with Bournemouth (2020), Sheffield United (2021), and finally Southampton (2025).
A Different Kind of Specialists in France
While Ayew stands out as a global case, the French league has records of names specialized in relegation with clubs, most notably:
- Frédéric Dangbo: "World champion" in this record in France; he experienced 5 bitter relegations. His journey started with Real Oviedo in Spain, then he moved to devastate clubs like Troyes, Caen, Ajaccio, and finally Créteil which he led to a fall to the amateur league.
- Éric Cubilier: The defender who didn't know relegation early on with Monaco and Paris, however, he later encountered it with three consecutive and swift falls with Nantes, Metz, and Bastia, finding himself later without a club.
- Benjamin Nivet: Relegated 4 times (with Troyes and Caen), but he had a unique ability to bring the team back to highlight before falling with them again.
Persistence in Loyalty Despite Relegation
While many leave at the first stumble, history records rare cases of players who refused to abandon their clubs even as they fell to lower divisions:
- Wolverhampton Quartet: In the eighties, "the Wolves" fell from the first division to the fourth in just three years. Nevertheless, Paul Dougherty and Geoffrey Palmer stood firm, and both participated with the team in all four leagues.
- Loyalty of Sheffield and Stockport: The duo Paul Garner and Tony Kenworthy lived with Sheffield United through three relegations and two promotions in a single decade. In the modern era, Paul Turnbull stood out, accompanying "Stockport County" from the second tier to completely exiting the professional leagues by 2013.
- David Wetherall's story: Scored the survival goal for Bradford City in 2000 against Liverpool, but later embraced the challenge of three relegations with the club, and even retired as a player and temporary coach in the fourth tier, loyal to his old club.
Statistics and Paradoxes
- The unlucky team: Norwich City remains the common denominator in the careers of most relegated players due to its frequent ascensions and falls.
- The hardworking unlucky: Many of these players (like Nathan Blake and Jordan Ayew) were top scorers of their teams during relegation seasons, proving that individual excellence may not be enough to salvage a crumbling system.
- Leicester's shock: Leicester City's transition from a miraculous Premier League win (2016) to playing in League One (2026) is considered the harshest downturn for a champion club in modern competition history.
