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Raphael Dwamena

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Raphael Dwamena
Dwamena in 2016
Personal information
Date of birth (1995-09-12)12 September 1995
Place of birth Nkawkaw, Ghana
Date of death 11 November 2023(2023-11-11) (aged 28)
Place of death Kavajë, Albania
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
2011–2014 Red Bull Ghana
2014 Red Bull Salzburg
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2016 Red Bull Salzburg 0 (0)
2014–2016 → Liefering (loan) 27 (6)
2016–2017 Austria Lustenau 20 (18)
2017–2018 Zürich 51 (21)
2018–2020 Levante 12 (0)
2019–2020 → Zaragoza (loan) 9 (2)
2020 Vejle BK 5 (2)
2021–2022 Blau-Weiß Linz 3 (0)
2022 Old Boys 11 (8)
2023 Egnatia 29 (20)
Total 167 (77)
International career
2017–2018 Ghana 9 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Raphael Dwamena (12 September 1995 – 11 November 2023) was a Ghanaian professional footballer who played as a forward.[1]

Club career

[edit]

Early years

[edit]

Born in Nkawkaw, Dwamena played and trained with the Red Bull Ghana developmental program. At the International Tournament in Croix, France. In 2013, Dwamena helped the RB Ghana U17 team to a silver medal performance, and was named the tournament's Best Player.[2] Before returning to Ghana, Dwamena and his teammate, David Atanga, first travelled to Austria for a one-week trial with Red Bull Salzburg.[3]

Dwamena joined the Salzburg youth team in January 2014,[4] and immediately made an impact on the U18 squad. In one tournament in June, he racked up seven goals in four games. Although Salzburg finished in third, he won the Golden Shoe.[5]

FC Liefering

[edit]

In July 2014, Dwamena was promoted to FC Liefering, the Salzburg farm team playing in the Austrian Football First League. He made his professional debut on 18 July, where in the 82nd minute of a 3–0 win over Hartberg he was substituted in for Nikola Dovedan. He was one of six Liefering players making their professional debuts that day.[6] He played in one more game that season.

During the 2015–16 season, Dwamena made his first start for Liefering on 21 August against Wiener Neustadt. He played the 90 minutes in place of Smail Prevljak.[7] On 18 September, in his fifth straight start, he scored his first professional goal. He scored in a 4–1 win over Austria Klagenfurt.[8][9]

Austria Lustenau

[edit]

Dwamena enjoyed a successful half-season with Austria Lustenau, scoring 18 goals in 20 games, before his transfer to FC Zürich.[citation needed]

FC Zürich

[edit]

Raphael Dwamena completed a transfer to FC Zürich on 27 January 2017.[10] He made an immediate impact at his new club by scoring 12 goals in 18 matches, helping Zürich to win the 2016–17 Swiss Challenge League and gain promotion to the Swiss Super League.[11][12]

On his Swiss Super League debut, Dwamena scored two goals against Grasshoppers.[citation needed]

On 21 August 2017, Zürich agreed a fee with Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion for the transfer of Dwamena. He was set to join Brighton subject to passing a medical, obtaining a work permit and international clearance,[13] The deal fell through after Dwamena failed his medical due to a heart condition.[14] He instead, remained an FC Zürich player.

Levante and loan to Zaragoza

[edit]

On 7 August 2018, Dwamena signed a four-year contract with La Liga side Levante UD.[15] The following 16 July, he was loaned out to Segunda División club Real Zaragoza for one year.[16]

In October 2019, after new examinations were carried out on his heart condition, the doctors recommended his immediate withdrawal and retirement from football.[17] He returned with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator in January 2020.[18]

Vejle

[edit]

On 20 August 2020, Dwamena moved to Vejle Boldklub in the Danish Superliga.[19][20] He scored in his debut in the Superliga, as Vejle lost 4–2 to rivals AGF.[21] He was withdrawn from team activities after complications of his heart condition were detected before a Superliga match against AaB.[22] At that point, he had made five league appearances for the newly promoted Superliga club and scored twice.[23]

Due to his heart condition and some worrying measurements, Vejle confirmed on 26 October 2020, that Dwamena could not play for a period.[24] In November 2020, the club's sporting director stated that he had played his last game for the club.[25]

Return to Austria

[edit]

On 25 June 2021, Dwamena returned to Austria and signed a two-year contract with Blau-Weiß Linz.[26] On 28 October 2021, he collapsed on the field during an Austrian Cup game against TSV Hartberg as the game was abandoned. He recovered in the hospital, and his career in Austria was over.[27]

BSC Old Boys

[edit]

During September 2022, Dwamena returned to football signing with Swiss fifth-tier side BSC Old Boys. On 3 September 2022, he scored on his debut in a 2–1 win over FC Regensdorf.[28]

Egnatia

[edit]

In December 2022, Dwamena joined Albanian side Egnatia as a free agent. He signed a year and half contract which was later extended to two years.[29][30] On 13 July 2023, Dwamena scored his first two goals in European competitions, scoring a brace for Egnatia in a 4-4 draw with FC Ararat-Armenia in a UEFA Conference League match.[31]

International career

[edit]

Dwamena did not play for the youth national teams of his country Ghana. He was called into the senior team as part of the 30-man squad for the 2017 African Cup of Nations but was dropped from the 23-man squad.[32]

Dwamena made his international debut on 11 June 2017 in an African Cup of Nations qualifier against Ethiopia, where he scored a brace to mark the new era of youngsters being introduced into the national team.[33]

Personal life

[edit]

Dwamena was diagnosed with a ventricular arrhythmia in 2017. In January 2020, while at Levante UD he had an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implanted through surgery, which enabled his club to monitor his heart during matches.[18][22] In October 2020, the ICD showed values which were considered too high, and his club at the time, Vejle Boldklub, withdrew him from team activities as a result.[22]

In October 2021, in Austrian Cup match during the first half of Blau-Weiss Linz's game against Hartberg, Dwamena collapsed on pitch, was shocked by the ICD and stabilized quickly.[34]

Death

[edit]

On 11 November 2023, Dwamena collapsed into sudden cardiac arrest on the field in the 23rd minute of the first half of the round 13 match between Egnatia and Partizani in the Kategoria Superiore, and died on the way to Kavajë Hospital, aged 28. Afterward, all sports events in Albania were postponed or suspended.[35][36] His cardiologist later disclosed that he had elected to remove his ICD a year prior.[37] He was laid to rest on 16 February 2024 on a football pitch in Accra, Ghana.[38]

Career statistics

[edit]

Club

[edit]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[39]
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Liefering 2014–15 Austrian First League 2 0 0 0 – 0 0 2 0
2015–16 Austrian First League 25 6 0 0 – 0 0 25 6
Total 27 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 27 6
Austria Lustenau 2016–17 Austrian First League 20 18 2 3 – 0 0 22 21
Zürich 2016–17 Swiss Challenge League 18 12 1 0 – 0 0 19 12
2017–18 Swiss Super League 32 9 4 4 – 0 0 36 13
2018–19 Swiss Super League 1 0 0 0 – 0 0 1 0
Total 51 21 5 4 0 0 0 0 56 25
Levante 2018–19 La Liga 12 0 3 1 – 0 0 15 1
Zaragoza 2019–20 Segunda División 9 2 0 0 – 0 0 9 2
Vejle 2020–21 Danish Superliga 5 2 0 0 – 0 0 5 2
Blau-Weiß Linz 2021–22 Austrian Second League 3 0 0 0 – 0 0 3 0
BSC Old Boys 2022–23 2. Liga Interregional 11 8 0 0 – 0 0 11 8
Egnatia 2022–23 Kategoria Superiore 18 11 6 1 – 0 0 24 12
2023–24 Kategoria Superiore 11 9 0 0 2 3 0 0 13 12
Total 29 20 6 1 2 3 0 0 37 24
Career total 167 77 16 9 2 3 0 0 185 89

International

[edit]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Ghana 2017 3 2
Total 3 2
Scores and results list Ghana's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Dwamena goal.
List of international goals scored by Raphael Dwamena[40]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 11 June 2017 Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi, Ghana  Ethiopia 4–0 5–0 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
2 5–0

Honours

[edit]

FC Zurich

KF Egnatia

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Association, Ghana Football. "Statement on death of Raphael Dwamena". www.ghanafa.org. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  2. ^ "Red Bull claim silver and individual awards in Croix". Ghana Football Association. 24 May 2013. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  3. ^ "RB Ghana U17 becomes second again". Red Bull Ghana. 21 May 2013. Archived from the original on 30 July 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  4. ^ "Liefering verjüngt den Kader weiter". fussball-imnetz.at (in German). 17 June 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  5. ^ Sturm, Michael (9 June 2014). "Sechste Finalniederlage bei siebter Mainzer Teilnahme in Ergenzingen". tagblatt.de (in German). Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  6. ^ "Liefering zum Auftakt souverän - und erster Tabellenführer!". FC Red Bull Salzburg (in German). 18 July 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  7. ^ "FC Liefering 0 - 1 SC Wiener Neustadt". weltfussball.at (in German). 21 August 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  8. ^ Frimpong, Akyereko (18 September 2015). "Ghanaian youth forward Ralph Dwamena scores to power Liefering to victory in Austria". ghanasoccernet.com. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  9. ^ "FC Liefering gewinnt auch gegen Klagenfurt". FC Red Bull Salzburg. 18 September 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  10. ^ "Der FC Zürich verpflichtet Stürmer Raphael Dwamena". 27 January 2017. Archived from the original on 17 November 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  11. ^ Osei, S.K. "Goal machine: Meet Raphael Dwamena, the Ghanaian striker with 30 goals in Europe this season". Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  12. ^ "Raphael Dwamena Profile and Statistics". Soccerpunter.com. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  13. ^ "Albion Agree Terms for Raphael Dwamena". Brighton & Hove Albion Official Site. 21 August 2017.
  14. ^ "Dwamena deal off as £10 million striker lined up by Albion fails a medical". The Argus. 25 August 2017.
  15. ^ "Raphael Dwamena, granota hasta 2022" [Raphael Dwamena, granota until 2022] (in Spanish). Levante UD. 7 August 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  16. ^ "El Levante UD y el Real Zaragoza pactan la cesión de Raphael Dwamena" [Levante UD and Real Zaragoza agree the loan of Raphael Dwamena] (in Spanish). Levante UD. 16 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  17. ^ Valero, Santiago (10 October 2019). "Los especialistas recomiendan a Dwamena que se retire inmediatamente". El Periódico de Aragón (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  18. ^ a b Freeman Yeboah, Thomas. "Ghanaian striker Raphael Dwamena undergoes successful heart surgery". Pulse. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  19. ^ "El Levante UD y el Vejle Boldklub acuerdan el traspaso de Raphael Dwamena" (in Spanish). Levante UD. 20 August 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  20. ^ "Vejle Boldklub henter angriber fra La Liga-klub – Vejle Boldklub" (in Danish). Velje BK. 20 August 2020. Archived from the original on 20 August 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  21. ^ "Målfarlige AGF knækker Vejle i sæsonpremiere" (in Danish). TV 2. 14 September 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020. Towards the end of the match, however, Vejle managed to score twice and create renewed tension. First, Ghanaian debutant Raphael Dwamena scored on a low strike from the edge of the box, and then Finnish Juhani Ojala came on the scoreboard with a header after a corner kick in the 84th minute.
  22. ^ a b c Nordestgaard Lage, Jacob; Ipsen, Christian (26 October 2020). "Angriber har spillet sin sidste kamp for Superligaens førerhold". TV 2 (in Danish). Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  23. ^ Teye, Prince Narkortu (27 October 2020). "Raphael Dwamena: Another setback for Ghana striker with his heart condition". goal.com. GOAL. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  24. ^ Dårligt hjerte stopper Vejle-angriber, ekstrabladet.dk, 26 October 2020
  25. ^ Vejle-boss: Raphael Dwamena har spillet sin sidste kamp, tipsbladet.dk, 9 November 2020
  26. ^ "Raphael Dwamena verstärkt Blau-Weiß Linz" (in German). Blau-Weiß Linz. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  27. ^ "Update: Raphael Dwamena" (Press release) (in German). Blau-Weiß Linz. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  28. ^ "Raphael Dwamena Is Back: Scores On Debut For BSC Old Boys" (Press release). theghanareport.com. 3 September 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  29. ^ "Ghana forward Raphael Dwamena scores his fourth goal of the season in Egnatia win over Bylis".
  30. ^ "Ghanaian striker Raphael Dwamena extends contract with FK Egnatia after stellar season".
  31. ^ "Conference League qualifiers: Raphael Dwamena scores late equalizer for Egnatia at Ararat-Armenia".
  32. ^ "FEATURE: Dropping Majeed Waris and Raphael Dwamena is a demonstration of technical and tactical bankruptcy by Avram Grant - GHANAsoccernet.com". social_image. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  33. ^ "Black Stars two-goal hero Raphael Dwamena grateful to Kumasi fans - GHANAsoccernet.com". social_image. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  34. ^ "Dwamena: Linz provide latest update on Ghana striker who collapsed | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  35. ^ Ra pa ndjenja në fushë, ndërron jetë Raphael Dwamena (in Albanian)
  36. ^ "Ghana's Dwamena dies after on-field collapse – DW – 11/11/2023". dw.com. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  37. ^ Raphael Dwamena had defibrillator removed a year before his death – Cardiologist
  38. ^ Horni, Nicolas (19 February 2024). "Raphael Dwamena laid to rest – See photos from Ghana striker's funeral". Pulse Ghana. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  39. ^ Raphael Dwamena at Soccerway Edit this at Wikidata
  40. ^ "Dwamena, Raphael". National Football Teams. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  41. ^ Yeboah, Thomas Freeman. "Raphael Dwamena wins Swiss Cup with FC Zurich". Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  42. ^ "Schweizerischer Fussballverband – Statistik und Resultate". www.football.ch (in German). Retrieved 28 May 2018.
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