Former Black Stars forward Kwesi Appiah has lauded Ghanaian football legend Asamoah Gyan, emphasizing the immense void left by the country’s all-time leading scorer.

Appiah and Gyan played alongside each other during Ghana's 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign, where the Black Stars finished as runners-up.

Speaking to Flashscore, the Boreham Wood striker revealed sharing the pitch with Gyan was more than just a professional experience - it was a career highlight.

“Gyan was always someone I admired from afar and I followed his career, as he was the star of our national team for many years. So to eventually be alongside him and partner him up front was a moment I will cherish forever. He’s a true legend and a great human being.”

Gyan’s incredible career, especially with the Black Stars, saw him score 51 goals in 109 international appearances, he is Ghana’s all-time leading scorer and one of Africa’s most prolific strikers. His six goals across three FIFA World Cups make him the top African scorer in World Cup history.

Since his last appearance in 2019, Ghana has struggled to achieve goals, and as a result, performances have been underwhelming. Appiah acknowledged that finding a successor to Gyan will be no easy task.

“It’s a very tough task to replace someone of his calibre and quality. That type of striker and character is not produced that often.”

“At this moment in time you have a player like Kudus and potentially Semenyo who are playing really good for their clubs so we’d hope they can eventually have that type of level and consistency for Ghana to help lead the team to glory as Asamoah Gyan so often did,” he added.

Appiah has scored 23 goals this season for Boreham Wood in the English National League as they battle for promotion.