From banking an astonishing £227,000 every week to claiming he had just £600 left in his account, Asamoah Gyan's financial journey reads like a cautionary tale.
The Ghana legend, who remains his nation's record goalscorer with 51 strikes and Africa's top World Cup scorer with six goals, saw his fortunes take a dramatic turn in 2018.
At his peak with Shanghai SIPG in 2015, Gyan was the eighth-highest paid footballer on the planet. The Chinese club showered him with that eye-watering weekly wage after his prolific spell in the UAE.
But three years later, during a bitter legal dispute with his wife Gifty, the former Sunderland striker revealed his finances had hit rock bottom. He even presented Turkish bank statements to prove his claim, blaming unpaid wages from Kayserispor for his predicament.
Asamoah Gyan was renowned for his goalscoring antics with Sunderland
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Gyan's journey to those mega-wages began at Sunderland, where he arrived for a club-record £12million from Rennes in 2010.
The striker made an instant impact at the Stadium of Light, netting 11 goals in 33 appearances during his debut season. He formed a lethal partnership with Darren Bent as the Black Cats finished 10th under Steve Bruce.
But when Al Ain came calling with a £125,000 weekly salary - three times his Sunderland earnings - Gyan couldn't resist. The UAE club paid a reported £6million loan fee, and his wages eventually rose to £160,000 per week.
His goalscoring record justified every penny. He bagged an incredible 128 goals in 123 matches, proving that big-money moves to lesser-known leagues don't always end in disappointment.
The financial troubles became public during his marriage annulment case with Gifty, whom he'd met in 2002 and married in 2013.
Asamoah Gyan is a legend with Ghana for his antics off and on the pitch
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Gyan refused to speak to their three children until a DNA test, requested by his brother Baffour, proved paternity. The situation turned messy when he couldn't afford business-class flights from the UK to Ghana that the court had ordered him to pay for.
"My front and back, up and down is that money you see there," he told GhanaWeb, referring to the £600 in his account.
The former striker blamed months of unpaid wages from Turkish club Kayserispor for his empty pockets. His relationship with socialite Nina Atalah was reportedly a factor in the marriage breakdown.
The marriage was annulled, but the legal battle didn't go Gyan's way. Last year, a court confirmed he was the biological father of all three children and ordered him to pay substantial compensation.
The settlement was painful. Gyan had to hand over a house in the UK, a four-bedroom property in Accra, a BMW, an Infiniti car, and one of his petrol stations to his ex-wife.
The court also ordered him to pay 25,000 Ghanaian cedis monthly - about £1,314 - for child support.
Since 2020, he's been spotted with his gold Rolls-Royce and at his £2.4million mansion nicknamed La Basilica de Baby Jet. However, he's been warned to leave the property over safety concerns, as it sits on a former quarry site in an earthquake-prone area.
Amamoah Gyan's fortune crumbled and now he only has £600 in his account
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Despite his financial setbacks, Gyan has built an impressive business empire across Ghana. He owns around 30 buses operating in Accra and runs Paradise Pac Drinking Water, which supplies sachet water to the Ghanaian market.
His petrol station business extends beyond the one he lost in the divorce settlement - he still owns several others across the country. He's also ventured into property, with multiple buildings and flats generating rental income.
The former striker founded Baby Jet Airlines in 2017, though it's yet to take off. He promises operations will begin "very soon," blaming Covid-19 for delays.
His other ventures include Baby Jet Promotions for boxing, Mama Vits Noodles and Rice, and a music career that saw him record three albums with hiplife artist Castro.