Former captain of the Black Stars, Asamoah Gyan has formally announced his retirement from football aged 37.
Gyan’s decision to bring his football career to an end was made known at the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Afriexim Bank Africa Trade Gateway Conference in Accra, on Tuesday.
OFFICIALLY, As I END my speech, Mr. President, Ministers of State, members of the board, fellow Speakers, nananom, niim3, naam3, I want to take this great opportunity, a stage that is difficult in every footballer’s career, a moment all footballers do not wish, but when nature dawns, that thin voice will keep echoing into the ears…
IT IS TIME…that voice has been clear in my ears, and I have succumbed to it, IT IS TIME. IT IS TIME TO HANG THE JERSEY AND BOOTS IN GLORY as I retire officially from active football, …but then again, I am minded by views shared by great businesses men and sporting gurus, “YOU DO NOT LEAVE YOUR LOVE’…together with my management, we will continue encouraging and push young talents as we did recently with BABYJET U16 AFRICAN TOURNAMENT where 1,200 young players across West Africa exhibited their talents on live TV.
Again, I will put my experience and knowledge to use in the field of coaching, football business and scouting. I want to thank my beloved country GHANA, my family, my colleagues from school, those from colts and Blackstar from 2002 to date, club mates, coaches and everybody who has played a role in my career as a footballer.
I say Thank you…. May God bless us all.
His explosive career began in Ghana, where he played for Liberty Professionals, before moving to Italy to join Sirie A side, Udinese in 2003.
He also played in the French League One, English Premier League, Chinese Super League, Turkish League as well as Saudi Arabia.
At the international level, he made 109 appearances for the Black Stars, scoring 51 goals and holds the record as Ghana’s all time top scorer.
He also retires as Africa’s top scorer at the FIFA World Cup with 6 goals, having featured for Ghana in three different World Cups.
