Former skipper of the the Black Stars Asamoah Gyan has revealed that representing Ghana at the 2008 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) is one of his biggest regrets in nearly 2 decades of his playing career.
Th former Sunderland forward in an exclusive interview with renown sports journalist Kwabena Yeboah revealed that he was injured prior to the tournament, but he had to sacrifice to represent Ghana. A gesture which was not appreciated by Ghanaians as he was heavily criticized for his performances.
“I regret playing at the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations because I was injured but I felt I needed to sacrifice but yet I was criticized [for my performance],” Gyan said.
“It really affected me more than the 2010 [World cup penalty miss against Uruguay].
“I really regret playing in the tournament because even after that I had to go out for five months.
“I was supposed to sign for Manchester City but I missed.
“That has been one of my biggest regrets with the National team.”
Gyan went on to add that he’s sometimes not appreciated by Ghanaians.
“Sometimes I’m not appreciated by Ghanaians. I feel like those who appreciate me are more than those who don’t, but as I always say, the negative ones cause more damage, whether we like it or not”
“100 people can praise you, 5 people can say negative things about you, but you’ll feel the 5, it doesn’t mean I’m saying people don’t love”, he added.