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| Raphael Dwamena |
Doctors gave him first aid on the playing field, and then he was immediately transported to the hospital by ambulance.
The 28-year-old from Ghana was diagnosed with heart problems in 2021 and doctors had advised him not to play football anymore. However, last season, he became part of Egnatia of Rrogozhina, where he was one of the best forwards in the Albanian championship.
Who is Dwamena
Born in Nkawkaw, Dwamena played and trained with the Red Bull Ghana development program. At the International Tournament in Croix, France, in 2013, Dwamena helped the RB Ghana U17 team win the silver medal and was named the Best Player of the tournament. Before returning to Ghana, Dwamena and his teammate, David Atanga, initially traveled to Austria for a one-week trial with FC Red Bull Salzburg.
Dwamena joined the Salzburg youth team in January 2014, and immediately had an impact on the U18 squad. On a tour in June, he scored seven goals in four matches. Even though Salzburg finished in third place, he won the Golden Boot.
In July 2014, Dwamena was promoted to FC Liefering, Salzburg's second team that plays in the Austrian First Football League. He made his professional debut on July 18.
During the 2015–16 season, Dwamena made his first start for Liefering on August 21 against Wiener Neustadt.
Dwamena also enjoyed a successful half-season with Austria Lustenau, scoring 18 goals in 20 matches, before his transfer to FC Zürich.
Raphael Dwamena completed a transfer to FC Zürich on January 27, 2017. He made an immediate impact at his new club by scoring 12 goals in 18 matches, helping Zürich win the Swiss Challenge League 2016–17 and promoting to the Swiss Super League.
In his debut in the Swiss Super League, Dwamena scored two goals against Grasshoppers.
On August 21, 2017, Zürich agreed on a fee with Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion for the transfer of Dwamena. He was set to join Brighton, provided he passed a medical examination, obtained a work permit and international clearance, however, the deal fell through after Dwamena failed the medical due to a heart condition. Instead, he remained a player for FC Zürich.
On August 7, 2018, Dwamena signed a four-year contract with La Liga team, Levante UD. The following July 16, he was loaned to the Segunda División club Real Zaragoza for one year.
In October 2019, after new examinations on his heart condition, doctors recommended his immediate retirement and withdrawal from football. He, however, continued after having an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) fitted in January 2020.
On August 20, 2020, Dwamena transferred to Vejle Boldklub in the Danish Superliga. He withdrew from team activities after complications of his heart condition were discovered before a Superliga match against AaB. At that point, he had made five appearances in the league for the newly promoted Superliga club and scored twice.
Due to his heart condition and some alarming measurements, Vejle confirmed on October 26, 2020, that Dwamena could not play for a period. Later in November 2020, the club's sporting director stated that Dwamena had played his last match for the club.
Return to Austria