I was fulfilled to play in the Premier League - Asamoah Gyan reveals

Former Black Stars captain Asamoah Gyan has described his time in the English Premier League as the realization of a lifelong ambition, revealing that he was fully prepared to make an impact when the opportunity finally arrived.

Gyan earned his move to England after an outstanding showing at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, where his performances for Ghana attracted widespread attention.

He subsequently joined Sunderland from French side Stade Rennais in a club-record transfer worth £13 million.

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The prolific striker wasted no time announcing his arrival, scoring on his Premier League debut against Wigan Athletic on 11 September 2010, coming off the bench to replace Danny Welbeck.

Speaking in an interview with former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, Gyan said playing in England’s top flight had always been a personal goal, inspired by Ghanaian legend Tony Yeboah.

Gyan said,

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He added,

Gyan spent a season and a half at Sunderland, scoring 10 goals in 34 appearances, before making a shock loan move to Al Ain on 10 September 2011, a transfer that was later made permanent.

Widely regarded as one of Africa’s most accomplished forwards, Gyan is Ghana’s all-time leading goalscorer with 51 goals in 109 international appearances.

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He also holds the record as Africa’s highest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history, netting six goals.

Across his club career, he scored over 170 goals in roughly 360 appearances, enjoying particularly successful spells at Al Ain and Sunderland, while scoring in nine consecutive major international tournaments between 2006 and 2017.