Arriving at Sunderland with the burden of being the club's record signing, Gyan adapted well to life in the Premier League and went some way to repaying the £13 million fee in his first season at the club - but was sent out on loan to Al-Ain of the UAE in 2011 after becoming unsettled.

Many pundits felt Steve Bruce had overpaid for the Rennes attacker, largely on the back of an impressive World Cup, as his record in France's Ligue 1 had hardly been prolific.

Quite how the Ghanaian would link with leading scorer and main man Darren Bent was a puzzle that, ultimately, was solved by selling the England striker to Aston Villa in a shock winter window deal.

After quitting Liberty Professionals in his hometown Accra for an early crack at life in Europe with Udinese, he cut his teeth with Modena during a two-year loan spell. A lucrative move to Lokomotiv Moscow collapsed in 2007 but, after an injury-hit final season in Udine, he was sold to Rennes for €8 million.

During the 2010 World Cup, he looked the complete package in attack - a willing runner who was strong, brave and capable of scoring important goals. The Ghana fans chanted 'Yes we Gyan!' and worshipped their attacking spearhead. For all the heartache generated by his quarter-final penalty miss, the tournament enabled Gyan to showcase his talents and earn the move to the Premier League that he had craved.

A well-taken goal and excellent all-round performance in a stunning 3-0 victory at Chelsea proved he has plenty to offer at Premier League level - but his attitude when returning to Sunderland in the summer did not please the club and he was sent out to Al-Ain, securing a four-year deal at the club in 2012.

Strengths: A powerful sprinter in his youth, he is quick off the mark and able to turn defenders with his speed and strength. He is able to excel in a lone attacker's role and likes to link up with runners from deep. The BBC 2010 African Player of the Year's finishing is improving and his focus appears to be faultless as he even managed to score in the shoot-out after his penalty aberration against Uruguay.

Weaknesses: Even the player himself has admitted he needed to sharpen up his finishing. Taking penalties was seen as a way to boost his figures but some pundits in his homeland criticised a lack of composure in front of goal. This has rarely been in evidence at Sunderland as his calmness in taking opportunities has been apparent but it is something that he must continue to work on.

Career high: Scoring the fastest goal of the 2006 World Cup against Czech Republic and helping Ghana win their first-ever match at that level was pretty special but his extra-time effort against USA four years later in South Africa possibly tops that as he did miss a spot-kick in the fixture in Cologne.

Career low: With the eyes of the world watching, and all those outside of Uruguay willing him to score, he could only hit the bar with the penalty in the last minute of the World Cup quarter-final. The pressure may have been intense but it was a golden opportunity to take the Black Stars into the last four of the world's biggest tournament and a moment he will, unfortunately, never be allowed to forget.

Style: Strong, energetic and intuitive, he has an unusual but effective running action. He also plays with a smile on his face and his elaborate dancing goal celebration has gone down a storm.

Quotes: From the moment Asamoah returned for pre-season training we could tell that there were people trying to move him on." Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn, September 2011.

Trivia: As 'Baby Jet', he released a single called 'African Girls' rapping alongside Castro de Destroyer.