Ghanaian football legend Asamoah Gyan has urged Kenya to invest more in grassroots football, saying the country has abundant talent but needs stronger structures to turn promising youngsters into professional players.
Gyan was speaking on Sunday at the finals of the Captain Irene Ndanu Super Cup and Soccer Summit at Nyayo National Stadium, where he said his experience in football had taught him that talent alone is not enough to reach the highest level.
The former Ghana captain, who recently served as an analyst during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, said Kenya was taking the right approach by focusing on young players and creating opportunities for them to develop from the grassroots.
“For me, when it comes to football, it is all about the basics. It is the foundation of the game,” Gyan said.
He said his own journey from playing football on the streets of Ghana to reaching the highest level demonstrated the importance of having people and structures that can identify and nurture young talent.
“I was playing back home from the streets and somebody saw my talent and took me to Europe. This is the time for us to give back to society,” he said.
Gyan, who has been appointed an ambassador for Ghana’s national teams and youth football, said his interest in the Machakos-based tournament was largely driven by its focus on grassroots development.
He acknowledged that not every youngster taking part would become a professional footballer, but said providing them with support and exposure could still change their lives.
“Not everybody is going to achieve through football. We can see a lot of players here performing, but if you see five or six players going to the highest level, that is what we do. We want to support everybody, but at the end of the day there are a few who can make it in life,” he said.
Gyan also stressed the importance of education, urging young players and their parents not to abandon academics in pursuit of football.
“Education is key. Let everybody take it seriously. Whatever it is that you choose to do, as long as you are doing it, let us do it to perfection,” he said.
His remarks came as the Captain Irene Ndanu Super Cup and Soccer Summit concluded its grassroots journey at Nyayo, after giving young players from Machakos an opportunity to compete at different levels ahead of the finals.
Captain Irene Ndanu, the tournament’s founder and sponsor, said the initiative was born out of a desire to bridge the gap between the abundance of grassroots talent and the lack of platforms where young players can be identified and supported.
“My inspiration came from the availability of talent but the lack of a platform to showcase it and also the lack of supporting youth. Sports is one of the biggest ways we can show this kind of support,” Ndanu said.
She said taking the finals to Nyayo National Stadium was a deliberate decision aimed at giving players who normally compete on local pitches an opportunity to experience an environment associated with elite football.
Ndanu said the tournament was designed not only to identify players but also to give them a bigger dream and expose them to opportunities beyond their immediate surroundings.
Gyan backed the approach, saying the next step should be ensuring talented players identified through such competitions do not disappear after the final whistle.
He said scouting should be linked to clear pathways that can move promising players into stronger leagues and professional environments.
“We have to support them to get where they want to achieve. If they want to achieve at the highest level, then we can also support them,” he said.
The Ghanaian legend also called for greater promotion of women’s football, arguing that visibility is critical to attracting supporters, sponsors and more young girls to the game.
He said competitions featuring both boys and girls should be marketed aggressively so the public understands the opportunities available through women’s football.
“Everything is all about promotion right now. If you don’t promote it well, it doesn’t go that far,” Gyan said.
For Ndanu, however, the ultimate goal goes beyond producing footballers.
She said the tournament was also intended to give young people an environment where they can dream bigger, develop discipline and discover opportunities that could shape their lives even if they do not become professional footballers.
With Gyan lending his experience and voice to the initiative, the finals brought together Kenya’s grassroots football ambitions and the experience of one of Africa’s most recognisable football figures.
The challenge now, as Gyan noted, is to turn such platforms into sustainable pathways where talent discovered at grassroots level can progress to professional football, while young players continue to receive support in education and life beyond the sport.
