What should matter more in sports: money or winning?

About three weeks ago, I wrote about Camerounian soccer star Samuel Eto'o's decision to leave Italian club Inter Milan for Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala; a move which was purely motivated by money. The deal made Eto'o the highest paid soccer player by more than $10 million.

Now Ghana's Asamoah Gyan is following in his fellow African's footsteps by leaving English Premiership League team Sunderland on loan to Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates. Sunderland hasn't exactly been a marquee team in the EPL, but Gyan was notably its star, leading the team with 10 goals scored in his first year. For now, the transfer is only effective for this season, but Sunderland manager Steve Bruce says he doesn't expect Gyan to return to the team.

Asamoah Gyan

At 25, Gyan is much younger– in soccer life, make that a lot–than Eto'o and had recently gained popularity following his impressive performance for the Black Stars in last year's World Cup. Gyan, despite missing a game-winning penalty that would've given the Black Stars a historic spot in the semifinals of the World Cup–a first for any African team in the history of the tournament–was Ghana's leading man. I stood less than 40 feet away from Gyan as he broke down in tears and was consoled by his teammates after Ghana lost the ensuing penalty shootout to Uruguay at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa last July. But it was obvious that his stock was set to rise in the soccer world regardless.

His career part seemed to be headed upward when he joined Sunderland, but I can't help but question his decision to leave the most competitive league for a non-existent one. The UAE? Even Eto'o's Russian league garners mild respect in the soccer world compared to the UAE. Gyan is expected to earn about $9.5 million with Al Ain, and the projection is that the move would be converted into a permanent one. It's an almost death sentence for Gyan's career, which could conclude without being a part of any major soccer title if he retires at Al Ain. He may be able to attract attention from major teams again if he performs as well as he did in South Africa, at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. But we're a long way from June 2014 and there's no guarantee that he'd be in top form then.

I understood Eto'o's decision to go with the money because he had proven himself on the biggest stage with three Champions League titles. English player David Beckham and French national Thierry Henry made similar decisions to join the U.S. Major Soccer League when their career paths took a decline. But Gyan's is very different. Most soccer players wait a lifetime to play against the elite and some never do, but Gyan is throwing away a potential memorable career by following the money.

So the question is Gyan doing the right thing by taking advantage of his high profile to make as much money as possible or should he have put winning ahead of career earnings in his decision?