Asamoah Gyan: Andre Ayew is not my friend, we were teammates

Gyan and Ayew played together in the national team for over a decade, featuring in multiple Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and FIFA World Cup tournaments.

However, reports of bad blood between the two have raged on for years, although there’s been no evidence of a fallout from either player.

The speculations intensified ahead of the 2019 AFCON, when coach Kwasi Appiah stripped Gyan of the Black Stars captaincy and named Ayew as his new skipper.

Andre Ayew and Asamoah Gyan Pulse Ghana

Opening up on his relationship with Ayew, Gyan said they have a cordial relationship but are not friends outside of the pitch.

He explained that although he has a good chemistry with the former West Ham and Swansea forward, he has his own circle of friends.

“I usually say Andre is my teammate. Sometimes people misjudge. He’s a teammate that I talk to and laugh with, but we have friends,” Gyan said on Atinka TV.

“Friends are people that you share secrets with. Andre is a teammate that I relate well with in camp and we have teamwork on the field but it doesn’t make him my friend.

“But people have created an unnecessary rivalry and that’s okay. At the end of the day, I also have people that go out with and work with. They are my friends. But when we’re in the same team, we’re teammates.”

Gyan and Ayew have the qualities to become great coaches – Kwesi Appiah Pulse Ghana

Meanwhile, in a separate interview with Accra-based Asempa FM, Gyan described Ayew as a good leader although both have different leadership styles.

"Everyone has his style of leadership. Everyone saw what I did when I was the captain. And now it's Andre's time and his colleagues have gotten to know how he does his things," "Andre is a good leader. We've been in camp together before and while he was my assistant he showed signs of a good leader.

"Now it's his era. At the end of the day, it's like a debate and we don't have a winner. But people know in their head who did what, so everyone has his opinion,” Gyan added.