Asamoah Gyan Backs England as Group L Favorites
Asamoah Gyan has seen enough World Cups to know how the script is usually written. Big names, big nations, big expectations. And in Group L, he is under no illusion about who carries that weight.
“On paper, England of course, one of the best in the world right now,” Ghana’s all-time World Cup top scorer said in New York, as PUMA unveiled the Black Stars’ new tournament jersey.
England are the headline act in a group that also contains Croatia and Panama. Ghana, though, have never been a nation content to play a supporting role.
England the benchmark, not the obsession
Gyan was clear: England are favourites. Ghana’s mission is different.
“You know, we are playing against England, we are in the same group,” he said. “But people are optimistic about that game. To play against England. I'm not thinking about playing England, I just want Ghana to qualify from the group stage to go to the next stage of the competition, so we'll see what happens.”
That is the line that matters. Not the glamour fixture. Not the noise around it. Qualification.
Ghana open their campaign against Panama on June 17, before the marquee clash with England on June 23. Croatia complete a group that offers both opportunity and danger. For Gyan, the path is simple: handle the so‑called “smaller” game first, earn the right to dream later.
Still, he knows exactly why Ghana vs England already has a circle around it on so many calendars.
“Ghana against England is going to be a very, very good game,” he added, with the kind of knowing smile that comes from experience.
A memory at Wembley that still lingers
Gyan has lived this fixture before. In March 2011, under the Wembley lights, he wrote his own line into the story.
Andy Carroll had put England ahead. The Three Lions looked set for a routine win. Then, in stoppage time, Gyan danced through the box and bent a low finish into the far corner. 1-1. Away end erupting. A friendly in name, but not in feeling.
That goal, like so many of his on the biggest stages, fed into a legacy that still stands unmatched on the continent.
Gyan remains Africa’s top scorer in World Cup history with six goals. No other African player has reached that mark.
“For me, records are set to be broken,” he said, reflecting on that milestone. “So, personally I count myself lucky to be at that level, to score six goals in World Cup history. The only African to score six goals in World Cup history. And yes, the record is there to be broken. So I wish this new generation well, to perform so well. One might come up and break the record.”
There was no hint of possessiveness in his voice. Just pride, and a challenge laid down to the next wave of Black Stars.
A new shirt, an old bond
The setting for these reflections was no coincidence. PUMA and Ghana have walked into World Cups together since 2008, and Gyan has been at the heart of that relationship.
“PUMA has been our main sponsor for more than a decade,” he said. “In Ghana, and a World Cup year to have the national team jerseys and everything, and I'm very happy to be a part of it.”
He spoke not as a distant ambassador, but as someone who has worn the shirt in the most pressurised moments the sport can offer.
“Personally when I was playing, I was working with PUMA so I know what PUMA has done for me and what PUMA is doing for my country as well, and other countries. So I'm here for PUMA.”
The new kit is more than a commercial drop. For Ghanaian fans, it is a fresh canvas for old dreams: knockout runs, late drama, another generation stepping into the space Gyan once filled.
Legacy meets opportunity
Gyan stands at an interesting crossroads in Ghana’s football story. He is both a living reminder of how high the Black Stars can climb and a vocal supporter of those trying to go higher.
He has already buried goals against Serbia and the United States, carried a nation to the brink of a World Cup semi-final, and silenced stadiums from Johannesburg to Natal. Now he watches, hoping someone in this squad dares to chase down his records and rewrite the numbers.
The group is tough. England loom large. Croatia bring pedigree. Panama will be desperate to disrupt.
But Gyan’s message cuts through the noise: don’t be blinded by the glamour tie, don’t get lost in the England narrative.
For Ghana, the task is sharper, simpler, and far more ambitious.
Qualify. Then see who is brave enough to make history all over again.
