According to an Albanian football federation announcement, former Ghana striker Raphael Dwamena died on Saturday after having a heart attack during an Albanian league match between KF Egnatia and FK Partizani.
“Paramedics on the pitch rushed him to hospital, where he died at the age of 28,” said the federation.
Dwamena won eight caps for Ghana and was once regarded as one of the country’s budding stars until suffering severe cardiac problems during his career.
Due to his health concerns, the attacker was unable to join Brighton in 2017, and he eventually relocated to Spain.
Four years later, the Ghanaian fell during a cup match in Austria between his team, Blau-Weiss Linz, and Hartberg, but he recovered and went on to play.
Dwamena had a cardiac procedure in 2020 and had an automated defibrillator installed before collapsing, which was supposed to allow him to continue playing football.
Following his recovery from the operation, the 28-year-old played in the Danish, Austrian, and Swiss leagues before joining Albanian club KF Egnatia in January 2023.
Our thoughts are with Raphael Dwamena's family in this difficult moment. He proudly represented us 9 times and scored 2 goals.
Rest in Peace, Raphael 💔🕊 pic.twitter.com/LY8eYBabGA
— 🇬🇭 Black Stars (@GhanaBlackstars) November 11, 2023
🕯️ 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
Dwamena currently leads the Albanian league in scoring this season with nine goals.
FC Zurich paid tribute to their former star with a black and white portrait of Dwamena on their website, writing, “Rest in peace Raphael Dwamena!” “You’ll always be one of us!”
In commemoration of Dwamena, the Albanian federation agreed to halt all league matches on Saturday.
“He lived for football,” Endi Tufa, an Albanian football analyst, remarked about Dwamena.