Asamoah Gyan credits Prince Tagoe for Ghana’s 2010 World Cup run
Former Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan has paid tribute to ex-Black Stars striker Prince Tagoe, crediting him with playing a crucial role in Ghana’s qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup during a period when he was sidelined by injury concerns.
Gyan, Ghana’s all-time leading scorer, revealed that fitness problems following the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations limited his involvement in the latter stages of the World Cup qualifying campaign, creating an opportunity for Tagoe to step up for the national team.
The former Hearts of Oak forward seized that chance, quickly establishing himself in the Black Stars setup and delivering important goals that helped Ghana secure a place at the tournament in South Africa.
Speaking in an interview with sports journalist Oti Adjei, Gyan acknowledged that Tagoe’s contributions are often overlooked despite their significance.
“During the qualifiers, I will say shoutout to Prince Tagoe,” Gyan said. “After AFCON 2010, I was having some muscle problems. There were games I could have played for Ghana, but because they knew I was very tired, they had to leave me out.
“Prince Tagoe was doing very well for Hearts of Oak and when he was invited to the national team, he instantly started scoring. He was scoring in the qualifiers.”
Gyan admitted that, contrary to popular perception, he was not among the key figures in Ghana’s qualification campaign due to his fitness struggles.
“I would not say I was instrumental because of my problems,” he added. “The coach wanted to rest me and the team didn’t want to take any risks.
“Prince stood up and he delivered until we qualified for the World Cup.”
Tagoe’s emergence provided then-head coach Milovan Rajevac with a reliable attacking option alongside Mathew Amoah, allowing Gyan the time he needed to fully recover ahead of the World Cup finals.
Both forwards were included in Ghana’s squad for the tournament, with Tagoe operating largely from the flanks while Gyan returned to his preferred central striking role.
The decision proved beneficial for the Black Stars, as Gyan rediscovered top form on football’s biggest stage. He scored three goals during the tournament and inspired Ghana to a historic quarter-final finish, making the Black Stars only the third African nation to reach the last eight of a FIFA World Cup.
More than a decade later, Gyan’s remarks have shone a spotlight on Tagoe’s often underappreciated contribution to one of the most memorable chapters in Ghanaian football history.
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