Captain of the Black Stars of Ghana Asamoah Gyan has stated that he is a master penalty taker but has ceased to take the penalty kicks during regular play for the national team.
Gyan abandoned his status as the first choice penalty executioner for the Black Stars following massive public disdain both he and his family received after the then Sunderland striker failed to score a crucial 120th minute penalty against Uruguay in the quarterfinals of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa crushing his powerful strike against the crossbar as Ghana went on to lose the ensuing penalty shootouts but Gyan scored his kick this time around.
This denied the West African nation the glorious opportunity of becoming the first African side to reach the semis of the global soccer event.
Gyan continued to take penalties for the team after that huge set back but again he failed to score a penalty against Zambia in the semifinals of the 2012 Nations Cup. The bashings he received became more and more unbearable according to the striker and to stop taking penalty kicks was the best decision Gyan made.
Speaking to Ghanaian reporters on Wednesday in Port-Gentil Gyan reiterated that he will not return as first choice penalty taker for the team but he knows he is a specialist in that aspect of the game .
“I used to be the first choice for penalties but now there is someone taking it. I can say I am an expert penalty taker. I can take the penalty kicks when its gets to penalty shootouts in the game and I am on the pitch”.
”In 2015 AFCON finals, the coach changed me towards the end of the game but he is the coach and make the decisions. I didn’t asked to be changed , it was the coach that made the change.I heard people say I asked to be changed in order not to be part of the likely penalty shootous but that’s not true.” Asamoah Gyan told the Ghanaian media at the Hotel du Parc in Port-Gentil.
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