Asamoah Gyan has thanked his colleagues at club and country for his inclusion in goal.com’s ‘Goal 50’, an annual list compiled by the international football website.
The Al Ain striker was this week voted as the 35th-best player in the world for 2013/14 because of his contributions to the UAE side and to Ghana, in his role as national team captain.
Last season, Gyan scored 45 goals for Al Ain across all competitions, including the winner in May's President's Cup final. Currently, he is top scorer in the 2014 Asian Champions League.
Gyan has transferred that form to the international scene, netting seven times in his past 10 matches for Ghana. He scored two goals at last month’s Fifa World Cup to become the most prolific African in finals history.
Having made the Goal 50 – the list is voted by editors from Goal's 35 editions – Gyan paid tribute to teammates at Al Ain and Ghana.
“Without them I couldn’t have achieved this,” he told Goal.com. “I’m very happy to have been selected in this important list. Being considered one of the top players in the world is a great achievement.
“I’m happy, but I didn’t do this alone. I thank everybody for their support. Working hard is the secret to my success – that is advice I would give to all individuals.”
Gyan is the only Ghanaian included, and is the third highest-placed African behind Yaya Toure, the Ivory Coast midfielder, and Vincent Enyeama, the Nigeria goalkeeper. In making the list, Gyan follows Al Ain teammate Omar Abdulrahman, who ranked 39th for 2012/13.
“It is a big honour,” Gyan said. “I’m extremely happy and it means a lot to me that my performances are being recognised. I want to dedicate this wonderful award to my late mum, my teammates, my club, my family and friends, and above all my missing friend Castro.”
Cristiano Ronaldo, the Real Madrid forward, was voted as the world’s best, with Bayern Munich’s Arjen Robben and Barcelona’s Lionel Messi making up the top three.
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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