Former Salzburg and Ghana international football player Raphael Dwamena died aged 28 after collapsing during a game in Albania.
Notably, this was not the first time in which Dwamena was collapsing on-field having collapsed back in October 2021.
The forward was playing for Blau-Weiss Linz in Austria when he first collapsed.
Fortunately for him, his implantable cardiovascular defibrillator (ICD) saved him on that occasion.
The ICD, which he was fitted with in 2020 while playing for Spanish club Levante, saved Raphael by shocking him back to life.
An ICD is a battery-powered device fitted in the chest of people with heart conditions and has often been fitted to many players with heart conditions.
Notably, Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen was fitted with one following his cardiac arrest during the UEFA Euro 2020.
Raphael Collapses
“Raphael went unconscious while playing for the local Egnatia team on Saturday in the country’s Super League,” said the Albanian Football Federation (AFA).
Furthermore, footage on social media shows the player all by himself on the pitch before stumbling and falling over.
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He lost consciousness on the field around the 24th minute of the match against Partizani.
Players from both teams reacted, calling on the medical team to assist the player before an emergency ambulance was quickly driven into the pitch.
The Federation further added, “Despite the immediate intervention of specialist doctors and all efforts to bring him back to life, the footballer unfortunately passed away.”
This was after he was rushed to hospital following a First aid administration on field.
Unfortunately, the ICD did not save him this time and he was pronounced dead, with a cardiac arrest as the cause of death.
Furthermore, the game had to be halted at 1-1 with no further play.
The AFA further confirmed that all games scheduled in Albania this week have been postponed.
Calls for Retirement
Dwamena had also been the leading scorer in the Albanian league this season with nine goals.
In addition, despite his career being blighted by cardiac issues, he was unable to quit the beloved game.
Notably, medical professionals had previously called for him to retire earlier in 2021, after his first collapse in Austria.
Renowned Ghanian doctor Prince Pambo, called for Dwamena’s retirement in November 2021, shortly after the first collapse.
“If Dwamena was my patient, I’d sit him down and call a year or two off,” Pambo noted.
“To deeply go into whatever problem it is, probably I would be tilted towards wanting to prepare him very well for a beautiful retirement from sports,” He added.
Football World Pays Tribute to the Player
In addition, Dwamena’s former teams joined the soccer world into paying tribute to the former Ghana international player.
“We would like to express our deepest condolences for the passing of our former player, Raphael Dwamena,” posted La Liga side Levante.
The Ghanian Football Association (GFA) on their part paid tribute by describing him as a player who served his country well.
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In addition, GFA through the president Kurt Edwin Okraku, added that Dwamena showed class anytime he represented Ghana.
“Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this difficult time. His legacy at our club will always endure,” they added.
Dwamena made nine appearances for Ghana and scored two goals.
It is important to note that the player’s career was first held back by a heart condition, first diagnosed in 2017.
Furthermore, a proposed £14m (Ksh156.1m) Transfer to Premier League side Brighton that year fell through after a failed medical.
Second Ghanian Professional Player to Pass On in 2023
Raphael is the second Ghanian international player who has passed on this year after former Newcastle winger Christian Atsu died in an earthquake that hit Turkey in February.
Atsu was laid to rest in a state funeral in March.
The 31-year-old was caught up in a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Syria and Turkey on February 6, killing more than 54,000 people.
Notably, his body was pulled under the rubble of the collapsed apartment building which he stayed in at Hatay.
