From the moment he graced the turf as a late second half substitute against Australia, the game changed and to his credit, he almost single handedly dismantled the Aussie defence. I am ofcourse talking about Asamoah Gyan.

In a rare and exclusive interview with myghanafooball.com, the Black Stars and Udinese striker who turned 21 on wednesday says his education as a footballer has moved to the next level in the Italian Serie A. Below is what the Fifa Gillette Best Player site had to say about Gyan recently.

"In Italy, Asamoah Gyan is considered to be still on a learning curve. In 2004, he began an apprenticeship with Serie B side Modena to acquaint himself with the rigours of top-flight football.

Yet at international level the 20-year-old is already blazing a trail for himself, and has demonstrated that he is learning fast. Gyan has hit five goals for Ghana this year and is now angling for a starting berth in the Black Stars' line-up when they make their bow at the FIFA World Cup™ finals in Germany next summer.(Make that eight goals now)

The striker's well-earned reputation as a consummate goalscorer is being enhanced with each passing game. .

For the 20-year-old just to play seems a perennial delight. He is the archetypal solid West African striker, combining pace with a killer finish and the physical strength to hold his own even against the most unyielding defences. All these qualities augur well for the future.

Another attribute is his appetite to perform under pressure on the big stage - his goal record is testament to that..

Gyan was just five days shy of his 18th birthday when he made his debut for the Black Stars. He was called up by caretaker coach Ralf Zumdick at the start of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, making his entrance as a late substitute in the first leg of the preliminary round clash against Somalia. Within five minutes of taking the field, Gyan had scored a fairy-tale debut goal.

During the group phase of the African qualifiers, he grabbed a vital late equaliser against Uganda in Kampala in July 2004 which saved Ghana from an embarrassing and damaging defeat. He also scored against the Democratic Republic of Congo away from home and in the final qualifier away to Cape Verde Islands, where the Black Stars made sure of their first-ever trip to a FIFA World Cup finals.

Another factor in his favour is that he already has experience of playing in major tournaments. Gyan was part of the Ghana side at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, where he started three matches. Looking at his recent projectory, it would be fair to say that he could well be hitting new, dizzier heights when Ghana open their FIFA World Cup finals campaign in June.

Source: Yaw Ampofo Ankrah