Former Ghana skipper Asamoah Gyan says it’s a great honour to represent the Black Stars.
Gyan, who was capped 109 times for Ghana throughout his 16 years senior career, made his international debut against Somalia during the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Gyan gave Ghanaians a glimpse of what was to come after he scored against Somalia to become Ghana’s younger ever scorer at the time.
His efficiency in front of goal carried on throughout the qualifying campaign, where he finished with four goals in seven matches to help Ghana secure a maiden World Cup berth.
At the 2006 global showpiece, it didn’t take long for Gyan to announce himself to the global audience, scoring the fastest goal of the tournament after 68 seconds against the Czech Republic.
The goal coincidentally happened to be Ghana’s first-ever at the World Cup.
Gyan would go on to play in two more World Cups, 2010 and 2014, finishing off his career as Africa’s highest scorer in World Cup history with six goals.
On the continent, Gyan twice came close to helping Ghana clinch the Africa Cup of Nations, with two runners-up finishes in 2010 & 2015.
Gyan retired from international football on May 20, 2019, ending his career as Ghana’s all-time top scorer with 51 goals.
The 39-year-old was recently a part of the Black Stars technical team that masterminded back-to-back victories in 2026 World Cup qualifiers games against Chad and Madagascar.
Reminiscing his time with the Black Stars on TV3’s Newday, Gyan said
“People see me as the jovial type with the jama and everything, but when we get to the field, I’m a beast. I just try and give everything, and when the national anthem is being played, that is when you’ll know you’re representing a football nation. Because Ghana is a football nation, whether people can dispute it or not.”
Quizzed about what it means to play for four-time AFCON champions, Ghana, Gyan said: “If you have the opportunity to wear the shirt, it’s a privilege because there are a lot of great players out there.”
Gyan, together with African football great Abedi Pele have been selected as ambassadors for the third edition of the CAF African Schools Championship, which is set to commence on April 23 in Accra, Ghana.
