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| Raphael Dwamena wearing the t-shirt of FC Zürich |
Despite constantly appearing positive, beyond the fact that he suffered from heart disease and had suffered two heart attacks that penalized him a lot, the life of the 28-year-old, Raphael Dwamena, had not been easy or otherwise fulfilled.
In an interview he gave for the Swiss media "NZZ" on October 19, 2022, about a year ago, the Ghanaian had recounted his life and childhood, which internally had a lot of pain.
CHILDHOOD
As he recounted his childhood, Dwamena said that everything started in Nkaukau, a small town in Ghana. Raphael grew up in hardship from his grandmother, as his uneducated parents abandoned him shortly after birth.
As he grew up, although it was too late, he met his parents again, at a time when he had already become a well-known player in Ghana and his talent had taken off.
When he met his parents, one of the questions his mother asked was: "How old are you?" She didn't even remember when she had brought her son into life, she had forgotten. Above all, at no time did Dwamena choose to ask his parents why they left him to grow up with his grandmother. The reason? He did not want to appear ungrateful to his grandmother.
She was a very strict and authoritative woman. A devout Christian and school principal in the area where she lived. To supplement the family's income, the grandmother was forced to allow little Raphael to sell homemade ice cream.
FOOTBALL
If little Raphael loved football, his grandmother thought otherwise. According to her, football was a waste of time and school should be first. Whenever his grandmother fell asleep, the boy secretly, without noticing, left the house and went down to the neighborhood to play football with the other children. Despite the boy's great love for football, his grandmother has long since changed her mind.
Exactly there on the street, while he was playing with the children of the neighborhood, a talent scout notices him and invites him to a trial on Monday. However, the grandmother appears again, arguing that the boy should be in school on Monday and according to her he could not do any football trial. The desperate Raphael asks many relatives and family members to act as intermediaries for his grandmother, including her son, Patrick.
After long negotiations, the grandmother agrees. When he was only 14 years old, his uncle gave Dwamena his first pair of football boots, a pair of "Diadora" in yellow. They would be his most important treasure, and this was declared a year ago by the striker himself: "When I got them, I couldn't sleep all night. I had to make sure the shoes were still there in the morning".
Raphael was later admitted to the local Red Bull academy. His first contract was 100 euros per month.
"As a child I didn't know what to do with so much money" - he had said.
After three years at the academy, Red Bull sent the talented young man to Austria, to the Salzburg academy. He played with the U-18 team, then was taken by the main team and there began his history in professional football, to end tragically, on Saturday, November 11, 2023, with the 28-year-old striker of Egnatia, who closed his eyes for the last time, after suffering a heart attack during the match against Partizani and then lost his life in the hospital." translate.google.com
To add some touching feelings to this text, we can focus on the emotional aspects of Raphael Dwamena's life journey.
"Raphael Dwamena's life was a testament to resilience and determination. Despite the hardships he faced, he constantly radiated positivity and hope. The heart disease that he battled, the two heart attacks that he endured, they were but obstacles in his path. But his journey, especially his early years, were far from easy or fulfilled.
He once recounted his life and childhood in an interview with the Swiss media "NZZ". His words painted a picture of a life that, beneath the surface, was marked with profound pain.
Raphael's childhood was a story of abandonment and survival. Born in the small town of Nkaukau in Ghana, he was left by his uneducated parents to be raised by his grandmother. This strong, strict, and authoritative woman, a devout Christian and school principal, became his beacon in life. To support the family, she even had little Raphael selling homemade ice cream.