Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan has opened up on his ambitions behind the establishment of an airline business which is expected to officially start in 2018.
The 31-year-old was awarded a license to operate in his native country last month, and says he doesn't want to go bankrupt like many footballers after retirement that's why he's investing to protect his future.
"From what I have seen in recent years, most retired footballers [in Ghana] don't have much after football," Gyan told KweseESPN.
"It is difficult to cope when, after such an engaging career, there is no business to keep you active, pay the bills and generate money. So I thought hard about it and decided to create businesses that will help me to avoid such situation.
"The business is part of a plan to have something I can rely on after football," the forward continued."Even while I am playing I am benefiting from it. I can't only rely on football because it is a short career," he added.
"For now, we want to start [the airline business] small and grow heavily in future. It is a new venture and I want to go in step by step," he said.
Gyan admitted that he initially wanted his plans about the airline business to be on low profile before officially announcing it but now wants young footballers to take a cue from his steps.
"I had wanted this to be quiet for a while but once the president said it, I was happy with the recognition and what it says.
"Sometimes, people think footballers can't do anything significant so I hope this encourages a lot of other players that with proper planning everything is possible."