Ghanaian dancehall artiste, Stonebwoy has subscribed to notions by legendary Ghanaian footballer, Asamoah Gyan that he is not given the needed recognition by Ghanaians.
Stonebwoy believes that there is a Ghanaian mentality that makes people downplay the accomplishment of stars like Gyan.
Speaking on Hitz FM, Stonebwoy said that the country’s treatment of people like Gyan has made him come to the realization that he will not be accorded the same reverence.
Stonebwoy stated that it is high time the country takes a look at honoring its heroes as that will encourage others.
“Asamoah Gyan deserves the attention. He is a big legend and a big brother to me. We have personal connections and may God richly bless you. It’s not the best thing to think but I’m not really expectant of any sort of celebration because it has not been.
“It is not just Asamoah Gyan’s time only, people before him. That tells you that it’s a mindset that we have to change. We have to deliberately focus on making sure that we sing people’s praise because they deserve it.
“When people have worked so hard, broken records and represented Ghana, we really need to focus on that and respect that. Sometimes people say things that hurt. What Asamoah Gyan said is really true. We can work so hard to celebrate people who PUT Ghana on the map,” he said.
Asamoah Gyan indicated in his interview with Dentaa that his weighty accomplishments as a footballer should be on the lips of Ghanaians while emphasizing he is an icon.
Without hesitation, he responded “Nope, I don’t think so” to whether or not he thinks Ghana has celebrated him enough years after playing for national teams.
“There are a lot of people who come on social media to disrespect me. They say a lot of things but they know the truth. One thing about Ghanaians is they know the right thing, instead of them putting it out there, they will not do it. But when foreigners praise theirs, that is where they [Ghanaians] bring their star to compare,” Gyan said.
Citing an example to buttress his point, Gyan mentioned that he was the first player to have scored in nine consecutive tournaments but that enviable record was never blazoned by Ghanaians until Cristiano Ronaldo did same in June 2021. Gyan’s bane was why it had to take an attempt by foreigners to crown Cristiano Ronaldo as a record-holder in that regard before Ghanaians acknowledged him.
“When Ronaldo scored, they [foreigners] put him there that he was the one who has set that record and then Ghanaians started attacking. They know the truth. Why didn’t they say it for people to know? When people start praising their icons, that is when they [Ghanaians] come out and say ‘we also have Asamoah Gyan’.
“In my own country, you see people disrespecting me, creating a lot of stories about me which I feel like it’s not it. So, when I see people defending me on social media, I just say ‘look at these hypocrites’” Gyan concluded.
Asamoah Gyan is the all-time leading goal scorer of the Ghana national team, with 51 goals. He is also the top African goal scorer in the history of the World Cup, with 6 goals.
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Legendary Ghanaian striker Asamoah Gyan