2010 World Cup: I let Africa and my country down - Asamoah Gyan on penalty miss against Uruguay
Ghana legend Asamoah Gyan has opened up about the lowest moment of his career, the incident that nearly forced him to walk away from the sport, and how he eventually rebuilt his confidence.
Gyan was just minutes away from leading the Black Stars into the history books at the 2010 World Cup, as Ghana stood on the verge of becoming the first African nation to reach the semi-finals.
But his missed penalty in the 120th minute against Uruguay shattered that dream, extinguishing the hopes of an entire continent in a dramatic and heartbreaking moment.
In an interview with former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand, Gyan admitted the miss left him devastated and uncertain about his future in football. Yet it was the penalty shootout that followed — where he stepped up first and scored — that helped him regain his composure and rebuild his career.
"I let Africa down," he said was his first thought after the miss. "That was one of the worst moments of my career. I would have ended my career. Remember, after the game, we went to a penalty shootout, and I took it first. So that was what revived my career, going to the penalty and scoring."
Gyan revealed that he was emotionally shattered in the aftermath of the miss.
"I was scared. I was gone. My head, my everything, was gone. I was emotional. It was crazy.
But the shootout offered him a chance to reset. He told himself the miss was just an error and that he needed to prove he could still perform under pressure.
"I went there during the shootouts, I said to myself it was just a mistake, just go and prove to people you can score, and that was what revived my career."
Although Ghana ultimately lost the shootout 4-2, Gyan’s resilience would later define his legacy. He went on to become Africa’s all-time leading scorer at the World Cup, finding the net twice at the 2014 tournament in Brazil.