Pro League: Gyan pays tribute to teammates in his success at Al Ain

Pro League's top scorer thanks teammates for help in securing second Golden Boot, writes John McAuley.

Asamoah Gyan credits his Al Ain teammates and the system they use for his success the past two seasons with the Pro League club.

AL AIN // Asamoah Gyan, the prolific Al Ain striker, has attributed his record-breaking season to his teammates after signing off 2012/13 with another goal.

The Ghanaian has enjoyed two hugely successful campaigns with the Garden City club, twice winning the Pro League Golden Boot, the award given to the division's top marksman.

In his first season, Gyan netted 22 times in the league, enough to convince Al Ain last summer to make permanent his loan deal from Sunderland, the English Premier League side.

The forward, 27, quickly set about repaying the club's faith, scoring in each of the opening 13 rounds before last month becoming the first player to reach the 30-goal mark in a single season when he notched a brace against Baniyas.

The double took Gyan beyond the record set by Alboury Lah, the Senegalese striker, who amassed 29 goals for Al Wahda in 1998/99.

Though Gyan deservedly collected the plaudits following his winner against Al Nasr on Friday night, the Al Ain No 3 was keen to pay tribute to his colleagues.

"Personally I did so well," Gyan said. "It's a great achievement in my career, as winning the top scorer in the league for two years is not easy. I scored 31 goals but I didn't do this alone. The players really helped me and I'd like to thank them all.

"The type of tactics we play suits me. We're a very technical team where everybody plays for each other and that's why we've done so well."

Speculation persists that Gyan may look to continue his career away from Al Ain, but for now he says he is simply going to savour a short break from football.

"We started this season very strongly, no doubt, and have had a good year despite the disappointment of the Asian Champions League," he said, referring to Al Ain's failure to progress from the group stages.

"At the end of the day we won the league, so at least everyone can go on holiday now with a sound mind. I think we're the best in the UAE, we've won the league so that proves it."

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