Ghana football icon Asamoah Gyan has opened up about the lowest point of his career, the moment that nearly drove him to quit the sport, and how he managed to rebuild his confidence afterwards.
The Black Stars were just minutes away from making history at the 2010 World Cup, poised to become the first African nation to reach the semi-finals.
But Gyan’s missed penalty in the 120th minute against Uruguay shattered that dream, ending a continent’s hopes in a dramatic and painful fashion.
In a candid conversation with former Manchester United and England defender, Rio Ferdinand, Gyan revealed that the miss left him feeling devastated and questioning his future in football.
Yet, it was the penalty shootout that followed, in which he stepped up first and scored, that helped him regain his composure and rebuild his career.
“I let Africa down,” he said was his first thought after the miss. “That was one of the worst moments of my career. I would have ended my career. Remember, after the game, we went to a penalty shootout, and I took it first. So that was what revived my career, going to the penalty and scoring.”
Gyan said he was overwhelmed with emotion and felt mentally broken in the aftermath of the miss.
“I was scared. I was gone. My head, my everything, was gone. I was emotional. It was crazy.
But he found strength in the shootout. He told himself the miss was simply a mistake and that he had to prove he could still deliver under pressure.
“I went there during the shootouts, I said to myself it was just a mistake, just go and prove to people you can score, and that was what revived my career.”
Although Ghana fell 4-2 in the shootout, Gyan’s resilience would later define his legacy. He went on to become Africa’s all-time leading scorer at the World Cup, netting twice during the 2014 tournament in Brazil.
