Raphael Dwamena, a former striker for Ghana, passed away on Saturday following a heart attack he had while playing in Albania. With nine goals for his side Egnatia this season, the 28-year-old was the top scorer in the Albanian league.
Despite having nine caps for Ghana and being regarded as one of the nation’s emerging talents, he suffered from multiple heart issues during his playing career.
Dwamena’s transfer to Brighton was shelved in 2017 as he failed a medical test, and he collapsed on the field in an Austrian game in 2021.
Dwamena “lived for football,” according to Endi Tufa, an Albanian football commentator. In order to keep playing, he had an automated defibrillator installed during a heart surgery in 2020. He played in the Danish, Austrian, and Swiss leagues after this procedure until signing with the Albanian team KF Egnatia in January of this year.
The Albanian Football Federation announced that all of this week’s scheduled games in the nation have been postponed due to the shock his death has caused within the football community.
