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Ghana striker Raphael Dwamena has tragically collapsed and died during a league game in Albania.
The 28-year-old started in Saturday’s match between FK Egnatia and Partizani but had to be stretchered off after collapsing.
🚨🚨 #ÚltimaHora || Fallece Raphael Dwamena
➡️El jugador se desplomó durante un encuentro en Albania este sábado
➡️ Disputó nueve partidos con el Real Zaragoza durante la temporada 2019-2020 pic.twitter.com/BszXNIr4zJ
— Aragón Deporte (@ardeportes) November 11, 2023
Doctors were, however, unable to resuscitate the former Red Bull Salzburg forward and he has since passed away.
Dwamena’s death has been confirmed by some of his former clubs, with Swiss side FC Zurich taking to X (formerly Twitter) to mourn him.
🕯️ Der FC Zürich trauert um Raphael Dwamena.
Rest in Peace Raphael Dwamena. Du bleibst immer einer von uns!#fcz pic.twitter.com/rIwaMyYsKx
— FC Zürich (@fc_zuerich) November 11, 2023
“FC Zurich mourns Raphael Dwamena. Rest in Peace Raphael Dwamena. You will always be one of us!” the club wrote.
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) also said in a statement: “Our thoughts are with the family of Raphael Dwamena at this difficult time. Raphael represented Ghana wholeheartedly and paid his dues to the country until his unfortunate passing. We will forever miss him for his dedication to the National Coarse. Rest In Peace Raphael!”
Although the details concerning the footballer’s death remain scanty at the moment, Dwamena had been battling a health condition for many years.
His most recent setback came in 2021 when he collapsed while playing in a cup game for the Austrian club BW Linz.
He was rushed to the hospital after the incident, leading to the match against Hartberg being called off.
Our thoughts are with the family of Raphael Dwamena at this difficult time.
Raphael represented Ghana wholeheartedly and paid his dues to the country until his unfortunate passing.
We will forever miss him for his dedication to the National Coarse.
Rest In Peace Raphael!🙏🏾🕊️ pic.twitter.com/aI4J1n6RF2
— Ghana Football Association (@ghanafaofficial) November 11, 2023
Despite being a promising striker, who enjoyed a hugely productive stint in the Austrian topflight in the 2016/17 season, Dwamena’s career was often held back by his heart condition.
In 2017, a move to Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion fell through when he failed a medical after a heart condition was detected.
He underwent surgery to correct the condition and returned to action in January 2020, but had since been playing with a defibrillator.
There were calls for Dwamena to retire from football due to his recurring heart condition but the striker often insisted he was keen on playing as long as he was medically fit to do so.
His death, however, comes as a shock, as he had been playing with an implanted defibrillator, which was okayed by doctors.
