Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan’s three goals over the weekend was the first hat-trick since starting his playing career abroad.

The 26-year-old scored the three goals on Friday night as his club Al Ain thrashed Al Dhafra in the UAE top-flight.

Despite playing abroad for ten years now as a striker, the influential player had not scored three goals in a game prior to Friday’s game.

But he broke that gremlin to move to the top of the scorers’ chart with seven goals in four matches.

This came just a day after CAF excluded him from a 34-man list for the African Player of the Year award despite topping the scoring charts in the UAE last season and winning the league.

Gyan started his foreign career with Italian side Udinese in 2003 before going out on loan to rivals Modena.

He also played for Rennes, Sunderland before sealing the lucrative move to Al Ain.