Premier League - Player Profile: Ghanaian International & Sunderland new signing Asamoah Gyan
Sunderland moved very late to secure the record-breaking transfer of Ghanaian international Asamoah Gyan. With the clock ticking and manager Steve Bruce perspiring profusely, the club website finally announced that they had secured the signature of their target with only fifteen minutes to go to the close of the transfer window.
However, apart from his stint at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, no one knows a great deal about the ex-Rennes striker.
Here are a few facts and stats about the new Sunderland striker:
Born in the Ghanaian town of Accra on the 22nd of November, 1985, Asamoah Gyan began playing football at the local Accra Academy, but was soon picked up by the local club, Liberty Professionals, who play in the top tier of the Ghanaian football league. Liberty may not be a household name anywhere outside Ghana, but surely can pride themselves in nurturing some of the greatest talent their country has produced in recent years, including Sulley Muntari, Michael Essien and John Pantsil.
Gyan only made 16 appearances for his club and scored 10 super-class goals in those matches and that was enough for Udinese to snap up the 17-year old teen prodigy in the summer of 2003. It was the same summer when a brigade of Ghanaian footballers hit the Italian shores; Stephen Appiah, Sulley Muntari and John Mensah, to name just a few.
Moving to Italy proved to be a pivotal moment in his career, as he also made his international breakthrough in November 2003, when he scored on his debut against Somalia in a crucial World Cup qualifier, thus becoming the youngest ever player to have scored for his country.
He scored four more times in seven matches during the qualifying campaign, and was quick off the mark in South Africa too, when he only took 68 seconds to score his team’s first goal against Czech Republic, becoming Ghana’s first ever player to find the back of the net in the World Cup finals. And just based on this record, Wigan Athletic should be very worried – Sunderland next play Wigan at the DW Stadium on September 11 - as he has an uncanny knack of scoring on his debuts.
After spending just a year with Udinese, he was loaned out to Modena in Serie B, where he scored 15 goals in 53 appearances, including one on his full debut.
In 2008, Gyan, along with his brother Baffour, almost walked out on his national side after being criticized by media and the fans after an unconvincing 1-0 win at the African Cup of Nations. Teammates were, however, able to convince him to stay, and he helped his side claim the third position in the competition.
Gyan returned to Udinese in 2007, but his return was plagued by injury and he never played for the club again, and in the summer of 2008, French side Rennes paid 8 million Euros to take the striker to France.
In 47 appearances for Rennes, Gyan found the back of the net 14 times.
In the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Gyan really came to the fore and made a name for himself. He scored in both of his country’s opening games and helped them qualify for the last 8 of the competition, making their country the only African side in the last 8 of the World Cup.
Unfortunately for Gyan, his side suffered a heartbreak against Uruguay in the quarterfinals; with the penalties looming in the 120th minute of extra time, Ghana were awarded a penalty and Gyan smashed it against the cross bar. He stepped up again to take the opening penalty of the shootout and despite him scoring, his side was still knocked out of the World Cup.
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