Asamoah Gyan: I wanted to punch Luis Suarez after handball incident.

According to the veteran striker, he nearly punched Suarez when Sunderland faced Liverpool in the Premier League after that tournament.

The former Sunderland star was, however, quick to add that he had to let the matter slide after putting himself in Suarez’s shoes.

“I almost hit Suarez when I saw him after the 2010 World Cup” – Asamoah Gyan #GhanaSoccerNet pic.twitter.com/KcVNhqcFCZ

— Ghanasoccernet.com (@Ghanasoccernet) April 11, 2022

“People spoke about the incident and it got into my head a bit. I remember when Sunderland faced Liverpool, during the exchange of handshakes, I watched him with some eye,” Gyan said.

“I wanted to even punch him because people had said things that had gotten into my head, but I realised I had to let it go because I would’ve done the same thing if I was Suarez.”

It will be recalled that the Black Stars were on the verge of becoming the first African team to reach the last four of the World Cup before losing on penalties to Uruguay.

The defeat was made more painful by the fact that Ghana had a penalty in the final seconds of extra time after Suarez used his hand to keep out Dominic Adiyiah’s goal-bound header.

Although Suarez was sent off for his unsporting act and Ghana awarded a penalty, Asamoah Gyan missed from the spot.

The South Americans eventually won the game 4-2 on penalties to progress to the semi-final of the World Cup at the expense of Ghana.

Over a decade after the incident, Gyan has revealed that he nearly hit Suarez during a Premier League game but realised he had to let go.

Meanwhile, the former Sunderland and Al Ain forward also addressed calls for him to return to the national team.

Gyan was modest in reacting to the issue, admitting that he’s currently not physically fit to play for the Black Stars.