Happy 37th birthday to Ghana’s Top Scorer and Icon, Asamoah Gyan.10 Greatest Achievement and Records by Baby Jet
Ghana’s all time leading scorer, Asamoah Gyan celebrated his 37th birthday on Tuesday, November 22, 2022.
Gyan’s career has been absolutely remarkable with loads of cherishable moments.
He started his professional career at age 18 with Ghana Premier League club Liberty Professionals and has gone on to feature for a host of teams-including Premier League side Sunderland.
Asamoah Gyan is the country’s all-time leading scorer for the senior national team, having scored 52 goals in 107 appearances with his first coming on his debut against Somalia on 19 November 2003.
Gyan has appeared in three World Cups and has scored more goals (6) than any African player in the global showpiece.
Here are 10 of Gyan’s greatest achievements and records in football
Ghana’s all-time top scorer
Gyan has undoubtedly been Ghana’s most reliable striker in the last two decades and his record for the national team is impeccable.
The former Sunderland star is currently his country’s all-time top scorer, having scored 51 goals in his time with the Black Stars.
Ghana’s most-capped player
Aside from being Ghana’s highest scorer ever, Gyan is also the second country’s most-capped player with 109 appearances.
The record overtaken by Andre Ayew, who is currently on 110 caps but.
First Ghanaian to score at World Cup
Gyan was part of the Ghana side that qualified for the country’s first-ever senior World Cup in 2006 and he made an impact in Germany.
The former Liberty Professionals striker scored in Ghana’s 2-0 win against the Czech Republic as the Black Stars won their first-ever World Cup game.
Coincidentally, Gyan’s goal against the Czechs was Ghana’s first at the World Cup, having lost 2-0 to Italy in their opening group game.
Africa’s highest scorer at World Cup
Gyan scored for Ghana in three successive World Cup tournaments in 2006, 2010 and 2014 to etch his name in history.
His tally of six goals makes him Africa’s highest scorer at the World Cup, with Roger Milla trailing by a goal and Ahmed Musa two goals behind.
First player to score in 9 consecutive major international tournaments
For so long Gyan held the record of being the first player to score in nine consecutive major international tournaments without even knowing.
The veteran striker scored in every major tournament from the 2006 World Cup to the 2017 AFCON and that record was only equalled by Cristiano Ronaldo during Euro 2020.
One of the fastest players to reach 50 international goals
Did you know that Gyan reached 50 international goals faster than many football greats, including Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo?
The Ghanaian reached 50 goals for Ghana in just 103 appearances, which is almost an average of a goal every two games.
In comparison, Ronaldo took 114 matches to reach 50 goals for Portugal, while Messi needed 121 games to reach that mark for Argentina.
5th highest scorer in UAE league
Gyan spent four years playing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after swapping Premier League side Sunderland for Al Ain in 2011.
And he made his mark in the Asian country, even becoming the UAE Pro League’s fifth highest scorer with 100 goals.
Al Ain’s 2nd all-time top scorer
Gyan won almost every domestic trophy with Al Ain and scored lots of goals too at the UAE club. Little surprise, therefore, that he remains the club’s second highest scorer of all time.
The Ghanaian scored 128 goals in all competitions for Al Ain, which puts him only behind Ahmed Abdullah who netted 180 times for the club.
Ghana player of the decade
In 2021, Gyan was named Player of the Decade at the Ghana Football Awards for his outstanding performances for his country.
It was a tough category, but the veteran striker stood out as he claimed the award to cement his place in history.
BBC African Player of the Year
Asamoah Gyan was BBC African Footballer of the Year in 2010.
In 2010, Gyan was voted BBC African Footballer of the Year following his impressive performances that year.
Gyan scored three goals as Ghana reached the final of the 2010 AFCON and also netted three times at the World Cup in South Africa later in the year.
He beat off competition from compatriot Andre Ayew, Ivory Coast’s Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure, and Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o to scoop the award.
Ghsportsnews.com wishes him a happy birthday.
