Remembering the brilliance of Asamoah Gyan in the Arabian Gulf League

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The Ghanian international was considered one of the best foreign players to have ever graced UAE Football.

Asamoah Gyan joined Al Ain from Sunderland in 2011 on a season-long loan before making the switch permanent. He netted 11 goals in 37 games for the Black Cats, becoming a player to remember for the good and bad moments.

It was a move where it shocked UAE Football and made for a lot of coverage with a foreign player with so much talent coming to the Middle East. To think that Gyan was only 25 at this stage and still was hungry to prove he can perform at the top end of the spectrum.

The former Al Ain striker said that the money on offer when he moved to the UAE was simply too good to turn down, confirming his time in the Emirates changed his life financially.

It gave a massive opportunity for many clubs in the AGL to search for players like Gyan. Ex-Manchester City striker Alvaro Negredo was one of those who had a successful spell with Al Nasr.

Gyan joined other players such as the talented Omar Abdulrahman who has since seen his career go downhill following injuries, but during that year it was considered one of the best partnerships in UAE and impossible to break down.

The 35-year-old scored in almost every game for the club and became the top goalscorer in three consecutive seasons. He managed 123 matches for Al Ain scoring an outstanding 123 goals and winning three league titles.

He was counted on when it mattered and delivered in expert conditions, scoring in the knockout stages of the AFC Champions League as his side made it to the semi-finals and the President Cup final which he went on to win in 2014.

However, after a four-year stint in the UAE where he managed to establish himself as one of the best players in the history of the club and the league, he continued his career by signing for Shanghai SIPG, where he became one of the highest-paid footballers in the world at that time.

After scoring seven times in 20 appearances with the Chinese side, the forward made a quick return back to the Gulf nation the following year and joined his previous side’s rivals of Al Ahli.

His impact wasn’t the same as the last time he was in the UAE due to injuries, but the striker did still manage to score 11 times in 25 matches before moving to Kayserispor in 2017.

Since then Gyan has had a short spell at NorthEast United but is now back in his hometown playing with Legon Cities.

With 51 goals in 109 games for his country, Gyan will be remembered for being the player he was and the incredible moments both in the UAE and England. A special player with a lot of incredible and heartbreaking moments.

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