Asamoah Gyan playing in India inspired me to join Gokulam Karela - Dennis Antwi

Gokulam Karela forward, Dennis Antwi has revealed that he was inspired to ply his trade in India after seeing Ghana legend Asamoah Gyan play in the IPL.

Gyan had a short stint with India Super League side NorthEast United in 2020 before returning to Ghana to join Legon Cities.

His short spell in the IPL was enough to convince Antwi, who has become an instant hero for Gokulam Karela following his inspiring comeback performance in the 4-3 win over Punjab, to move to India.

"Asamoah Gyan is one of the biggest strikers in Ghana, and of course, I'm a big fan of him. I've been following his career for a long time now and I must say that he playing previously here inspired me to come to India," Antwi said recently while speaking to i-league.org.

"Football has changed these days. It's not just restricted to a few countries. I think you'll find that quality football is played in a lot of countries around the world now, and India is definitely one such country," he continued.

"So when I had an offer to come here, I had a word with the staff and took the chance of coming to India."

The 28-year-old joined the Karela based outfit in 2020 but his debut was delayed by the outbreak of COVID-19.

"Things were a bit strange at first, with all the precautions and restrictions in place for us all. But I feel that football is being conducted in a very professional manner here," said the Ghanaian striker.

"So many precautions are being taken to protect the players from Covid-19." Antwi himself is acquainted with Gyan, who has not only inspired the former to come to India but also to take up the number 33 jersey at Gokulam.

"I've been acquainted with him for some time. We all look up to him back in Ghana and Asamoah himself is a very good person. He's my role model -- he's the reason why I took the number 33 jersey here," stated Antwi.