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
Follow us on Twitter @SprtNationalUAE
Meatless Days
Sara Suleri, with an introduction by Kamila Shamsie
Penguin
THE BIO
Age: 30
Favourite book: The Power of Habit
Favourite quote: "The world is full of good people, if you cannot find one, be one"
Favourite exercise: The snatch
Favourite colour: Blue
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
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Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
