Former Ghana youth star Awule Quaye Jr. has admitted using a fake age during his playing career.

The former Ghana U-17 and U-20 midfielder confessed to reducing his age by five years.

According to transfermarkt.com, Awuley Quaye is now 40 years, but per his confession, his real age should be 45.

Awuley Quaye Jnr, who is now a pastor, was a key member of the Black Starlets team that reached the finals of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 1997.

"Five years of my age was taken off, I was around 21 when I was playing U17 World Cup in 1997 even though I entered the tournament with age 16," he said on Max FM.

He admitted that age cheating in football is real, adding that the phenomenon has several disadvantages and urged players to desist from the act.

"Sometimes we don't say these things because it could have an effect on our careers. Age cheating isn't good but conditions push players to do so. I was in Belgium at age 17 and the whites treated me like an 11-year-old," the player said.

After U-17 World Cup, he graduated to U-20 and played a key role in Ghana's title triumph at Africa Youth Championship in 1999.

Quaye Jr represented seven clubs in a career which lasted 13 years. He played for the likes of Hearts of Oak, CS Sfaxien, Zamalek and Malaga.