Former Black Stars midfielder Derek Boateng has asked Ghanaians to stop criticizing Asamoah Gyan for the famous penalty miss and rather appreciate his efforts for the nation.
Gyan, the general captain of the Black Stars, missed a last minute penalty against Uruguay in the 2010 World Cup quarter final, sending shock waves around the nation. Ghana eventually lost on penalties and the forward has been heavily criticized for missing that spot kick.
Derek Boateng however stood up for his colleague and stated that everyone who knows the sport would not criticize Gyan at this point.
“I don’t know why Ghanaians still criticize Asamoah Gyan [on the penalty miss]. If we had won that game, you guys have no idea the kind of money we were going to make. Do you think Gyan would intentionally miss the penalty? We would have made a lot of money and put Ghana in a different pedestal of football. You can also consider the name he would have made if he scored the penalty," he told Nathaniel Attoh on the Joy Sports Link.
"People who understand football will not blame Asamoah Gyan because he did what he was supposed to do. Even after the miss, he stood up and played the first penalty in the shootout to show Ghanaians that he was the right person to play. During the first game against Serbia, he played and scored and he played another one and scored."
"He was scoring goals in the tournament as well. He was the leader in the frontline so he had the confidence to play the penalty. We all love him. People have to stop doing what they are doing. He has done a lot for the nation. It’s heartbreaking when you hear people saying things about him. They should even name a stand in a stadium after him but they won’t do it. People have so much short memories which is really bad.”
The duo featured in multiple tournaments together including the 2010 World Cup.