Asamoah Gyan says his move from the English Premier League to UAE football has been vindicated.
The Ghanaian striker decided last summer to make permanent his transfer to Al Ain, having spent the previous season on loan from Sunderland, and his performance ensured he finished the campaign as the league's top goal-scorer for a second successive year.
In all, he has scored 53 times in 40 matches, while in April he became the first player to register more than 30 goals in a single season in the UAE top flight.
Gyan's contribution was integral to the Garden City club's two Pro League titles in that time, as he formed the spearhead to the division's most ruthless attack.
The switch from one of Europe's foremost competitions has not affected his national-team chances either, with Gyan retaining his position as Ghana captain, although there have been rumours of a rift in the squad regarding who carries the armband.
"I don't regret quitting the English Premier League at all," Gyan told the Ghanaian media. "I am comfortable and happy, and most importantly, I deliver when I come to the Black Stars.
"My decision to move to the Arab world was because of my family and what was good for me, and not what people said or will say. Some people listen to friends in taking critical decisions and they mess up in the end. I scored 22 goals during my first season and improved to 31 in last season's league and that is a great mark."
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- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
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Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
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