Asamoah Gyan will celebrate his 27th birthday on Thursday

Asamoah Gyan is among big names in world football who will be celebrating their birthday this week.  

Gyan has, over the past few seasons, established himself as one of the most dangerous African strikers in the game.

He helped Ghana  to advance to their first-ever FIFA World Cup, at Germany 2006.

During the competition proper, he became the first Black Stars representative to score at that level, and he followed it up with three more goals four years later at South Africa 2010: an opening-match winner against Serbia, an equaliser in the second group match with Australia and an impressive individual effort against USA that sent the Africans into the quarter-finals.

During the last-eight clash with Uruguay, the Ghanaian attacker was unfortunate to miss a last-minute penalty that would almost certainly have qualified his side for the semi-finals.

He has taken part in the last three CAF Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, finishing third in 2008, second in 2010 and fourth in 2012. Gyan originally came through the ranks of Liberty Professionals in his homeland, before packing his bags for Italy, where he played for Udinese and Modena.

After stints with Rennes and Sunderland, he joined UAE heavyweights Al Ain. During an initial loan period, the explosive forward finished top scorer in the domestic league, helping his new employers to become national champions in the process.

At the beginning of this current season, Gyan signed a permanent contract with the club.

The Ghana captain will turn 27 on Thursday.