Asamoah Gyan: Penalty Miss Will Make Me Stronger

Asamoah Gyan insists the traumatic end to his World Cup will only serve to make him a stronger player in future.

The Ghana forward scored three vital goals for Ghana including two from the penalty spot but missed with the last kick of the game against Uruguay to send the quarter-final decider into a penalty shootout which the Uruguayans finally won.

It broke the heart of a nation and continent and Gyan himself was inconsolable afterwards but the Stade Rennes man says it is all water under the bridge now.

"It was a major disappointment. I was a broken man but these things happen in football and I have to move on," he told KickOffGhana.com. "I am a strong person mentally and I know when all is said and done that I had a good tournament. It is unfortunate it ended the way it did but that is past now."

Gyan also says a visit to Nelson Mandela on Saturday had helped him overcome his pain.

"He told us we can hold our heads high, that we should be proud of the way we fought. That from him mattered a lot to me and the rest of the squad."

Gyan says he has watched the game three times since then but is keen to count the positives from the campaign for Ghana.

"We came here and did ourselves and our nation proud. It could have been a lot better but in every tournament we improve and I hope the experience here will make us stronger for the 2014 campaign in Brazil."