Asamoah Gyan is hopeful that Ghana will end their 31-year wait for gold at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations tournament that kicks off in South Africa next week.
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The Black Stars last won the continental cup in 1982 when legendary African footballer Abedi Pele was part of the team, and Gyan like most of his current side, were not even born then.
"I'm very hopeful we can break the jinx and end the long wait for the African title," said Gyan of Ghana's quest for their fifth AFCON title on the Ghana Football Association website.
The former Sunderland striker, who currently plies his trade with Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates, famously missed a penalty in a last-16 game against Uruguay at the World Cup in South Africa in 2010, but he believes his contribution is, however, not just about finding the back of the net.
"I'm not disturbed because my ratio of goals with the national team is impressive," he added.
"It is natural people expect you to score as striker, but it is not always so. Sometimes you have to create the chances for others to also score. I always do my best to help the team to victory."
Ghana play all their Group B matches at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth and Gyan is under no illusion that they will have to be at their best to beat Niger, Mali and DR Congo.
"No team can be underrated at this level. All four sides in the group are strong contenders. We played Mali at the 2012 edition and saw their performance. Niger, though not a big team, has a strong side and can always cause an upset."
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