Forget Ronaldo; Ghana have Gyan! As much as Ghana ought to be wary of the Portuguese ace, the Selecao themselves need to ponder how theyd deal with Ghanas own Ronaldo when the two sides meet at the World Cup FEATURE By Sammie Frimpong So much has already been said about the scheduled encounter between Ghana and Portugal at the 2014 World Cup, with the spotlight being beamed on one man and few else: Cristiano Ronaldo, reigning Ballon dOr holder and current talisman of one of club footballs mightiest forces. Former Ghana captain Stephen Appiah has spoken up, too, regarding the very real threat the Portuguese poses and highlights the need for a plot against him to be mapped out by the Black Stars technical handlers. “There is a guy [Ronaldo] who has overshadowed all the players but they have a good team and nobody is talking about the other players,” Appiah told Goal Ghana last week, prior to adding: “He is making the difference anyway and I think you watched the game against Sweden and you saw what he did so that tells it all.” Tornado obviously has a point, and so does everyone who has ever raised concerns of Ronaldo-esque proportions ahead of Ghanas final group game. Still, some have shrugged off what danger the 29-year-old could present when Ghana face Paulo Bentos charges, and this writer certainly is one of them. Really, why fear? Tweaa. Smile. Weve got the Baby Jet. Before you hastily dismiss the comparisons between Ghanas Asamoah Gyan and Ronaldo being made here, consider the facts. The form guides of both forwards over the last few seasons - forget the fact that one plays in Spain, the other in the UAE - appear close enough. While Ronaldo, decked in Real Madrids white, has waltzed to tons of goals and acclaim in the glamour and bright lights of European football, Gyan has steadily improved his own scoring ability and basked in the lesser glories on offer in the Emirates where he plays for Al Ain. Ronaldo has racked up a stunning tally of goals, 160 in all, during the past three seasons (the current one inclusive), but Gyans own strike rate over the same period - which has yielded well over 80 goals thus far - has been no less impressive, considering he has won a few topscoring honours for his efforts and that there has been no better finisher in the Arab region since he transferred there from the English Premier League. Tied with Saudi Nasser Al-Shamrani on five goals, Gyan is to this seasons AFC Champions League what Ronaldo is to Uefas: leading goalscorer. BRING IT ON | Ronaldo vs Gyan, a battle of two deadly strikers That aside, Gyans reputation on the competitive international stage, believe it or not, surpasses Ronaldos by some distance, judging strictly by statistics at the Fifa World Cup. Both have featured at just two Mundials - 2006 and 2010 - yet Ronaldos goal aggregate on global footballs grandest altar (2) is only half of Gyans, with the latter having featured in two games less. Put simply, Gyan is no mean a threat than Ronaldo is. As an extra ace up his sleeves, going into their impending head-to-head affair, Gyans potential is relatively understated, implying he does have the priceless element of surprise on his side. On his day, Ghanas all-time leading scorer is as brilliant and inspired as Portugals. On his day, Gyan could certainly match Ronaldos remarkable levels of confidence and ability. Lets just hope June 26 proves his day.
Posted on: Thu, 03 Apr 2014 18:19:47 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015