Former Ghana striker Raphael Dwamena died after suffering a heart attack during an Albanian league match between KF Egnatia and FK Partizani, according to a statement by the Albanian football federation.
“Paramedics on the pitch rushed him to hospital, where he died at the age of 28,” said the federation.
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Footage circulated on social media showing the moment the player collapsed to the turf as players from both sides rushed to his side in the 24th minute.
Dwamena earned eight caps for Ghana and was once considered one of the country’s rising stars but encountered several cardiac problems over the course of his career.
In 2017, the attacker was unable to join Brighton due to these health issues, and he eventually moved to Spain.
Four years later, the Ghanaian collapsed during a cup match in Austria between his side Blau-Weiss Linz and Hartberg, but recovered and continued his playing career.
Dwamena was this season’s top scorer with nine goals in the Albanian Super League..
“The Ghana Football Association is sad to hear of the death of our former player Raphael Dwamena and wish to express our deepest condolences to his family at this difficult moment,” it said in a statement.
Prior to collapsing, Dwamena had undergone a heart operation in 2020 and had an automatic defibrillator implanted, which was intended to allow him to pursue playing football.
Following this operation, the 28-year-old played in the Danish, Austrian and Swiss leagues before joining Albanian outfit KF Egnatia in January 2023.
Dwamena was the current leading scorer in the Albanian league this season with nine goals.
Swiss club FC Zurich published a black and white photo of Dwamena on their website and paid homage to their former player.
“Rest in peace Raphael Dwamena! You’ll always be one of our own!”
:In memory of Dwamena, the Albanian federation decided on Saturday to suspend all league matches,” they wrote.
Endi Tufa, an Albanian football analyst, said of Dwamena: “He lived for football”.
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