Asamoah Gyan on Ghana’s World Cup Hopes, PUMA’s Bold New Kits, and Why He’s “Jealous” of the Gold Jersey

The countdown is on. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup just months away, the energy is already building across continents — from Accra to New York, from neighborhood pitches to global stages. This will be a different kind of tournament: bigger, louder, spread across North America, and carrying the weight of expectation for teams and fans alike. For Ghana, it’s another chance to rewrite its World Cup story. For fans, it’s a return to the kind of moments that stop time: goals, heartbreak, celebration, and everything in between.

It’s also the kind of moment that brings legends back into the conversation.

OkayAfrica caught up with Ghanaian football legend Asamoah Gyan in Brooklyn, New York City, last week, where PUMA unveiled its 2026 FIFA World Cup kits for 11 nations. Five African countries were in the spotlight: Ghana, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Morocco, and Egypt. It felt fitting to talk about the game's future with someone who shaped its past.

Front and center were Ghana’s new kits. The white home jersey stays true to form: clean, familiar, anchored by the Black Star that has come to define the team’s identity, and featuring a new, intricate, web-like design. Then there’s the away kit. Gold. Bold. Layered with patterns that feel both modern and rooted. It doesn’t whisper. It announces itself.

Gyan couldn’t hide his reaction to the new kit.

“I’m jealous,” he says, flashing his dimpled smile. “We wore white and red. But this gold represents who we are.” For him, the color goes beyond design. It’s tied to Ghana’s identity, natural resources, history, and pride. “That gold color is very, very strong,” he says. “It represents our culture.”

He remembers seeing the country embrace it in real time. “On Independence Day, everybody was wearing it. The whole country was flooded with the yellow shirt.” That’s the thing about Ghana’s jersey. It doesn’t stay on the pitch. It moves into daily life like celebrations, parties, and ordinary days that call for something meaningful. It has become a big part of the culture, national identity, and pride. 

A World Cup Legacy That Still Hits

Now 40, Gyan retired in 2023 after a career that placed him firmly among Africa’s greats. Three World Cups. Seven AFCON tournaments. Fifty-one goals in 109 appearances for Ghana. And still, Africa’s all-time top scorer at the World Cup, with six goals across 2006, 2010, and 2014. When he talks about the World Cup now, it’s not abstract. It’s memory.

“When I see the World Cup, it brings back what we did,” he says. “I’m happy. It’s an honor, but I didn’t do this by myself.”

There is pride in his voice when he speaks about the current Black Stars. It’s a different generation, he says, and he’s careful not to compare. “You cannot judge it. We had our time. What we have to do is support this new generation to achieve what we maybe didn’t do.”

Ghana’s group this year includes England, Croatia, and Panama. On paper, it’s tough. In reality, it’s unpredictable.

“Statistically, England,” Gyan says when asked which of those teams he thinks will be the toughest opponents for Ghana. “But the World Cup is different, everybody's playing very, very good football.”

He points to history. Ghana wasn’t expected to go far in 2010, the year South Africa hosted the FIFA World Cup for the first time on African soil, and ended up the last African team standing.

“Panama can surprise. Croatia has been in the finals and semifinals. It’s a very tricky group.”

The goal for Ghana, he says, is to: “First, qualify from the group stage. Then we take it step by step.”

From the Pitch to the Studio

Gyan won’t be on the field this time, but he’ll still be close to the action. He’ll be working as a commentator with SuperSport, mostly based in the studio in South Africa, with possible appearances in Ghana.

It’s a shift, but not a step away. The game still runs through him.

Baby Jet, the Entertainer

If football made him a legend, music made Gyan accessible, playful, and more human. Under the name Baby Jet, he built a parallel career, collaborating with hiplife star Castro, who tragically disappeared in 2014 after a jet ski accident, and releasing hits like “African Girls,” which won at the Ghana Music Awards. He also dropped “Turn Up Remix” ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

For him, it was all part of the same mission. “When I was playing, it was about entertainment,” he says. “I wanted people to feel something.” That extended to his goal celebrations, often breaking into the famous Ghanaian dance, azonto, which became his signature move after scoring.

“I wasn’t that boring footballer. I wanted to make people happy, entertain the crowd,” he says, laughing. As for another World Cup anthem this year, he says: “For now, I don’t know.”

Building the Next Generation

These days, his focus is on what comes next. Back in Ghana, Gyan is investing in grassroots football, working with his manager to build an academy for young players. Around 120 kids are currently part of the program.

“It’s not easy,” he says. “But we have to start from the grassroots.” The goal is simple: give young players a real shot. “There are a lot of talents,” he says. “We just have to build them.” That includes mentorship, structure, and exposure, sometimes with former players brought in to guide the youngsters.

For someone with his résumé, Gyan’s legacy could be measured in numbers. He was Ghana’s all-time leading scorer; Africa’s top scorer in World Cup history; the first Ghanaian to score at a World Cup. But that’s not how he frames it. “I leave it for the fans to choose how they remember me,” he says.