‘My career could have ended in 2010 after the Uruguay game’ – Asamoah Gyan
Former Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan has disclosed that his career could have ended in 2010following his penalty miss in the quarter-final of the game against Uruguay at the World Cup.
Gyan had the chance to make Ghana the first African team to reach the semi-final of the World Cup but missed a spot kick in the final minute of extra-time.
However, he mustered the courage to elect himself for the first kick of the shoutouts against the South Americans, a decision he believes turned around things for his career.
“I’m a very competitive guy. I hate to lose, so when I make a mistake, it doesn’t mean I’m incompetent. I want to prove to people that humans make mistakes, but they can be corrected. That is why I elected to take the first penalty in the shootout after missing my kick,” Gyan told Wontumi FM as he reflected on the incident on the 14th anniversary of the game.
“I strongly believe if I didn’t retake that penalty, it would’ve been the end of my career. Ronaldo is very competitive too, that’s why he was crying. He has passion for the game.”
His comments were also in reaction to Cristiano Ronaldo’s recent penalty miss at the European Championship in Germany.
Ronaldo, like Gyan, showed his competitive spirit by scoring the first penalty in the shootout, setting the pace for a 3-0 victory.
