Thanks for the recognition – Gyan tells Kurt Okraku

General Captain of the Black Stars, Asamoah Gyan says he is elated that the Ghana Football Association President, Kurt Okraku rates him as one of the finest players to have played for the senior national football team.

The FA President, Kurt Okraku in an interview last week resisted temptations to name his all-time Ghana best XI.

Despite failing to do name his all-time Ghana best XI because of fears he might leave some big names out, he mentioned two players who he saw play, and described them as phenomenal.

According to the FA President, Asamoah Gyan and Abedi Pele Ayew are two of the greatest players in the history of Ghana football.

“I will just give you two names who in my opinion (that I saw playing) have been fantastic,” Kurt Okraku said during an interview with GhanaWeb.

“One is the general captain of the Black Stars the Baby Jet (Asamoah Gyan) and the other one; the only one, the Maestro (Abedi Pele).

That recognition has got Gyan excited, and the former Sunderland striker took to Twitter to thank the FA President.

“Thank you @kurtokraku (President of the GFA). I appreciate the recognition. Facts are facts tho.”

Gyan is the all-time leading goalscorer of the Ghana national team, with 51 goals in 109 games since making his international debut in 2003.

With 6 goals, he is the top African goalscorer in the history of the World Cup. Gyan has represented Ghana at the 2004 Summer Olympics and in seven Africa Cup of Nations in 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019, helping them finish in third-place in 2008 and runner-up in 2010 and 2015.

The ex-Liberty Professional striker has also represented Ghana at the 2006, 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups.

In 2006 World Cup, Gyan scored Ghana’s first ever goal in the FIFA tournament, which was the fastest at the said tournament after just 68 seconds against Czech Republic.
Abedi Pele on the other hand, is a three-time African footballer of the year winner and has won a host of titles including the Nations Cup with the Black Stars in 1982, as a teenager.

He played for several European clubs and found his fame in the French Ligue 1 with Lille and Marseille, the latter where he won the UEFA Champions League in 1993, being the first Ghanaian player to win the trophy.

Both Asamoah Gyan and Abedi Pele once captained the Black Stars.