Asamoah Gyan reveals battle with depression at unveiling as Ghana Football Ambassador
There was a moment during what was supposed to be a simple coronation of a hero when the atmosphere inside the Pelican Hotel shifted from celebration to confession last Wednesday (May 20, 2025). Asamoah Gyan, the man who once carried the weight of Ghana’s sporting dreams more than any other, stood before a room of administrators, former teammates, and musicians and decided to unburden himself.
The former Black Stars captain was officially unveiled on Wednesday night as the Ghana Football Association’s new Ambassador for National Teams and Colts Football. But in a revelation that stunned the gathering, the nation’s all-time leading scorer disclosed that approximately one year ago, he found himself lost in the throes of clinical depression.
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Speaking in a voice thick with raw emotion, the man famously nicknamed “Baby Jet” described a period of intense personal difficulty that forced him to retreat entirely from the public eye, including a self-imposed exile from social media.
"Tonight is an emotional night for me, but I will try not to cry. Let me tell you one story. I will say that about a year ago, I had personal issues which led me to depression." Gyan revealed, his voice shaking as he appeared to wipe moisture from his eyes.
He recounted the depths of his isolation to the silent audience, describing a moment of profound despair at home when his phone rang with an unexpected lifeline. "My brother told me, 'The President is looking for you,' and I asked, 'Which president?' He said, 'President Kurt Okraku.'"
"I said they should let him in. I had a one-on-one conversation with him. If all of you are on social media, you could see I went off social media for some time," he said.
The narrative of that rescue formed the emotional core of the evening. Gyan explained that the GFA President did not call to discuss tactics or past glories but to remind a broken giant of his unfinished business. According to the former Sunderland and Al Ain striker, Kurt Okraku’s intervention was therapeutic.
"He told me we have a lot of things to do when it comes to grassroots football. He said, 'You have been an inspiration to the youth and to Ghana,'" Gyan recounted. "He encouraged me not to give up."
That conversation, Gyan admitted, pulled him back from the edge. It restored his focus and reminded him that his value to the nation transcended the 51 goals he scored in a Black Stars jersey. "As I stand here tonight, I am ready," he declared.
The ambassadorial role, which tasks Gyan with promoting the senior national team and reviving the ailing Colts football system, was first proposed during that dark period. The GFA finally formalised the arrangement on Wednesday, with President Simeon-Okraku delivering a stirring tribute that framed Gyan not just as a goalscorer, but as a monument to resilience.
"To this day, Asamoah Gyan remains Ghana’s all-time leading scorer and Africa’s highest scorer at the World Cup," Okraku said. "True leadership is not defined by moments of pain. It is defined by resilience. And if there is one thing Asamoah Gyan taught this nation, it is this: champions rise again."
In a deeply symbolic gesture that brought the night full circle, Gyan presented a jersey to veteran coach J.E. Sarpong, the man known as Shakpiru, who first spotted his talent at Accra Academy. The former captain described himself as a proud product of colts football, joining legends like Stephen Appiah in appealing to corporate Ghana to invest in the grassroots.
"This is the foundation of every successful football nation," Gyan said. "We must give them hope."
