Asamoah Gyan Is Not The All-Time Leading Scorer Of The Black Stars

Renowned sports researcher Thomas Freeman Yeboah has challenged Asamoah Gyan�s new record as the all-time leading scorer of the Black Stars � saying the basis for his new feat; Abedi Pele�s record of 33 goals is in error. The Ghana captain scored his 33rd and 34th goals for the Black Stars with a brace in Friday�s 3-1 win over Sudan in a 2014 World Cup qualifier. Gyan�s 34th goal in Omdurman surpasses the age-long record of Abedi Pele as the �all-time� leading scorer of the Black Stars with 33 goals. But researcher Freeman Yeboah who is credited with setting the records straight by correcting an error on who scored Ghana�s 100th Nations Cup goal which was initially attributed to Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu when indeed it was actually John Mensah who chalked that milestone feat is now challenging Gyan�s record. According to the Metro FM journalist who serves on the Ghana FA�s Research and Information Management Committee, Abedi Pele�s record as the all-time leading scorer of the Black Stars is in error � thus rendering Gyan�s new feat also void. Freeman Yeboah in his research relied on four strong parameters to reach his conclusion and they are; The results on Ghana�s international matches were produced by �RSSSF�, a FIFA accredited statistical body, but no scorers are attached to them, so �I had to go through every archival material to get the scorers of international matches played by Ghana since 1950 and establish the truth of the nature of the matches�. I looked at the period between 1981 and 1998, with about 202 international matches, during this period Abedi Pele played for Ghana.Total international goals scored by Abedi Pele are nineteen (19) as recorded in the archives. There are seven (7) games which have the matches recorded in the archives but no scorers are available and at the same time some have no evidence of Pele playing or not. The 7 matches in question have a total of 11 goals, but after talking to some of the players who played in some of these matches, they have justified that Abedi Pele, didn�t play in three of such matches with a total of six (6) goals involved. For instance Opoku Nti who captained Ghana in both 1983 and 1987 revealed that Abedi Pele didn�t play for Ghana in 1983 and 1987 during the CSSA tournament in both Ivory Coast and Liberia respectively. Ernest Appau and Sarfo Gyamfi who also played in the 1983 and 1987 respectively in the CSSA corroborated this. Freeman Yeboah�s research thus holds that Abedi Pele scored a total of 19 goals for the Black Stars and not 33 as captured in records. The former Asempa FM sports journalist is also responsible for setting the records straight on the total number of league titles won by Asante Kotoko � being 21 and not 22 as previously captured. The renowned researcher however failed to produce any concrete grounds on which Asamoah Gyan�s 34 goals touted as the all-time bestis being challenged but has assured he will be providing proof in the coming days. Gyan�s record has also been contested by football historian James Oyedeji who claims Edward Aquah and Baba Yara had scored goals in excess of 50 for Ghana but there are no records to back his claim.