Ghana captain, Asamoah Gyan, is being celebrated as a special guest at the on-going FIFA Under-17 tournament.
Last Saturday, he was at the stadium and watched Nigeria beat Uruguay 2-0 to advance to the semi-finals of the competition. Cote d’Ivoire, unfortunately, loss 1-2 to Argentina.
“There’s some good talent out there. You can see it plain as day,” Gyan told FIFA.com . “You can see that we’re improving in Africa. We’ve got so much talent, and these kids can be stars one day. They’re just 16 and 17, trying to build their careers and by what I’ve seen so far, some of these players can go places.”
Gyan has been top scorer in the UAE’s Arabian Gulf League for the last two seasons, since making his much-publicised move from English side Sunderland to 11-time Emirati league champions Al Ain FC. Now 27, he’s played for Udinese in Italy’s Serie A and with French side Rennes while amassing 76 caps for his native Ghana.
The 2010 BBC African footballer of the year is also likely to feature in his third straight World Cup for the Black Stars next summer in Brazil.
It’s safe to say that Ghana’s top all-time scorer knows a little something about what it takes to reach the top of the football pyramid.
He wore a wide smile while watching the Nigerians, one of the top attacking teams at these U-17 finals. He laughed and joked with club mate and UAE national team sensation Omar Abdulrahman “I’m enjoying my football again and things are going great with Ghana right now. I’m really just enjoying my life.”
Gyan picked out Nigerian players Kelechi Iheanacho and Taiwo Awoniyi for special praise in the Golden Eaglets team.
With the new UAE season underway, Gyan’s time is limited. He’s busy, after all, zooming up the scorer’s table with Al Ain. His goal from the penalty spot last Thursday helped the side, which also boasts Brazilian winger Michel Bastos and is coached by Quique Sanchez Flores, pull off a dramatic 3-2 home win over Dubai rivals Al Nasr.
“I’ve got a lot of training and team commitments at the moment, said Gyan, who scored in Ghana’s 6-1 demolition of Egypt in the first leg of their crucial play-off for Brazil 2014.
Source: fifa.com
