‘I’d have done the same as Luis Suarez’ – Ghana legend Asamoah Gyan holds no grudge against Uruguay striker for handball but it still hurts

Asamoah Gyan says there's no bad blood between him and Luis Suarez over the handball incident at the 2010 World Cup.

More than a decade on, the Ghana legend admitted he would have done exactly the same as the Uruguay striker had the roles been reversed.

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In South Africa, Suarez deliberately saved a shot with his hands to prevent a certain goal that would have sent Ghana to the semi-finals at the South American's expense.

He was sent off and a penalty was awarded. Gyan stepped up and missed the spot-kick and the match went to extra-time and penalties.

The former Sunderland striker scored in the shootout, but Uruguay won and went through to the last four of the World Cup.

Reflecting on what happened, Gyan told talkSPORT before the 2022 edition began: “I’m a football player and I do understand the game. Back home, everybody who watched the game, they dislike him.

“I always say if I was Suarez I would have done the same thing to save my country. He’s a hero there.

“Although people see him as a cheat, he did what he had to do to get his country to the semi-final.

“People do hate him, but I’m in the game as well. He did what he had to do to get his country to the semi-final.

“It has been [more than] 10 years now and it still sticks in my mind. It is a pain that I have to live with.”

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And Suarez himself he has no regrets over the incident, pointing out it wasn't him who missed Ghana's penalty.

Gyan had scored three goals in the tournament up to that point, with two of them penalties, so when he stepped up in the dying moments of that quarter-final he was full of confidence.

He said: “I was the first penalty taker in the team at that time. Any penalty, I was responsible for. 

“Before that game, against Serbia, I scored 1-0 through a penalty. Second game against Australia a penalty.

“Third game I didn’t score and then I scored against the USA. I had all the confidence in the world.

“Going in, there wasn’t any pressure at all. What I was surprised at was my penalty going that high. Normally my penalty doesn’t go that high.”

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They both came face-to-face in the Premier League after the incident and Gyan was asked if he had spoken to, or confronted, Suarez.

He added: “He was at Liverpool at the time. I don’t think he spoke English at the time. I never spoke to him under we [Sunderland] played Liverpool and they won 4-2.

“We just did a handshake. People thought I was going to ignore him, but we had a handshake and that’s it. 

“That’s the only time, but I haven’t spoken to him.”

Coincidentally, Ghana and Uruguay have been drawn in the same group at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but the 36-year-old does not think his country will be out for revenge.

“Honestly, football players have it in their mind that they have to get revenge but the fans and people behind are pushing that agenda,” Gyan said.

“Fans will always be fans. Individually some players might take it personally, I’m not in anyone’s head. Some might say we are going for revenge after what happened in 2010, but we are sportsmen.”