Legendary Ghanaian footballer Asamoah Gyan has named Brazilian football icon Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima as the idol who inspired his football career.

Asamoah Gyan told YFM that, in his view, Ronaldo is the greatest footballer in history due to the skill set he possessed as a striker.

Gyan observed that while most strikers tend to lack in certain areas, Ronaldo was a complete package who could act as a poacher, strike from a distance, and dominate defenders in aerial duels.

The former Sunderland striker revealed that as a young footballer, he watched videos of Ronaldo and integrated some of his skills into his own.

Asamoah Gyan believes that he was a complete striker like Ronaldo and had no weaknesses.

"Brazilian Ronaldo is the one from whom I drew a lot of inspiration. To me, he is the greatest player of all time. He was a center forward who could do everything. I grew up and acquired skills similar to his. A center forward might have certain qualities and lack others, but I see myself as a complete striker who never lacked anything. I thank God for that.

"My talent was evident, and whenever I was on the field, the mindset was that I was going to score because of my talent. I scored a goal every two games for the Black Stars, so my numbers speak for themselves," he said.

With his 51-goal tally for Ghana, Asamoah Gyan is regarded as the best goal-scorer in the history of the Black Stars.

He also tops the chart for the African player with the most goals in the history of the World Cup – six. This feat was accomplished over three World Cups in which Gyan participated as a player for the Black Stars.

EK