Ghanaian footballer Asamoah Gyan has bagged the Continental Global Icon Award at the 2023 Exclusive Men of the Year Awards Africa.
The 37-year-old Gyan, who announced that he was wrapping up his playing career in June, has surpassed other Ghanaian celebrities such as footballer Mohammed Kudus, sprinter Joseph Paul Amoah, and boxer Abraham Mensah.
During his two-decade professional career, Asamoah Gyan became the top scorer in the history of the Ghana national team and played in both European championships and leagues in the UAE, China, Turkey and India.
Gyan was also the captain of the national team, playing a prominent role in taking the team to the 1/8 World Cup in South Africa. In the 1/8 finals against the US, he scored the winning goal in extra time, and so Ghana became the third African country in the history of the World Cup to reach the quarterfinals, after Cameroon and Senegal.
As part of the national team of Ghana, the footballer also won three African Cup of Nations medals: two silver and bronze.
Gyan's last club was Ghana's Legon Cities, for whom he played his last game in May 2021.
The ceremony, held at a lavish hall in Accra, honored the outstanding achievements and contributions of influential people in various sectors of Africa in 30 categories at once.