Gyan is a weak leader – Don Bortey

Black Stars captain Asamoah Gyan is not the best person to lead the national team, former Accra Hearts of Oak player Bernard Don Bortey has said.

Don Bortey, speaking on Class Sports World on Class91.3FM with Kwame Dwomoh-Agyeman, agreed that although the all-time leading scorer for the national team had a lot of experience, his leadership credentials fell short of the standards expected of a team captain.

“Asamoah Gyan and I started Black Stars the same day, so I think Asamoah Gyan has that much experience. But I can say Asamoah Gyan is not a strong leader like Stephen Appiah".

"Asamoah Gyan can do whatever you want him to do in terms of football because he knows that he is a scorer. When you put him in, he will score for you, but when it comes to football, Gyan is my mate, we were all local players before we entered the Black Stars, so I know Asamoah Gyan very well,” he stated.

“A strong leader should command them [teammates], he should tell them to do this and do that. If the team loses, all the blame will come to you and the coach. He is scoring but when he does something small everyone starts [criticising] him: ‘Asamoah Gyan is this and that’ and because he is someone who doesn’t know how to talk, he doesn’t want problems, he would keep it cool. But as a human being you have to come out and say whatever you have to say.”

Gyan became the all-time leading scorer for the national team on Sunday 11 June when he scored Ghana’s first of five goals against Ethiopia in a 2019 Afcon qualifier at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.