Former Ghana and Feyenoord defender loses battle with cancer

Former Ghana and Feyenoord defender loses battle with cancer.

FORMER Ghana and Feyenoord defender Christian Attah Gyan sadly loses his battle with cancer. He died on Wednesday, December 29 at the age of 43 following a long battle with the disease.

Gyan, dubbed “Atta Rasta”, was born in Ghana but moved to the Netherlands alongside fellow countryman Patrick Allotey in 1996 when he was just seventeen. He went out on loan first to Excelsior before starting his Feyenoord adventure in the 1997-1998 season under then-coach Leo Beenhakker. He went on to make 93 appearances for the club.

The Dutch side confirmed the news on December 29, writing: “Feyenoord loses in Gyan a former player with a real Feyenoord heart, a favourite of the legion and above all a fantastic person.

“The club wishes all relatives a lot of strength in coping with this great loss.”

Gyan was with Feyenoord for ten years and was considered a fan favourite and cult hero, helping the side to the Dutch league title (1999), the UEFA Cup (2002) and the Johan Cruijff Cup.

He played 23 games for the national team of Ghana after making his full international debut, incidentally, against the Netherlands. For the senior side, he featured eight times between 1998 and 2001, including at the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations.

After leaving Feyenoord, he signed for Finnish side TPS before joining National League side Wrexham in 2009, although he only made two appearances for the Red Dragons before being released.

He later had spells with RoPS and Dutch amateur side RKSV Leonidas before hanging up his boots.

In September 2017, supporters of Feyenoord collected €35,000 for him to support his medical bills, thought to be unrelated to his cancer battle, during an Eredivisie League match between Feyenoord and NAC Breda.

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