Raphael Dwamena

Raphael Dwamena (born 12 September 1995) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Danish club Vejle Boldklub and the Ghana national team.

Raphael Dwamena
Dwamena in 2016.
Personal information
Full name Raphael Dwamena
Date of birth (1995-09-12) 12 September 1995
Place of birth Nkawkaw, Ghana
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Striker
Club information
Current team
 Vejle BK
Youth career
2011–2014 Red Bull Ghana
2014 Red Bull Salzburg
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2016 Red Bull Salzburg 0 (0)
2014–2016 → Liefering (loan) 27 (6)
2016–2017 Austria Lustenau 20 (18)
2017–2018 Zürich 51 (21)
2018–2020 Levante 12 (0)
2019–2020 → Zaragoza (loan) 9 (2)
2020– Vejle BK 5 (2)
National team‡
2017– Ghana 9 (2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14:04, 28 October 2020 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 23 September 2019

Playing career

Early years

Born in Nkawkaw, Dwamena played and trained with the Red Bull Ghana developmental program. At the International Tournament in Croix, France, in 2013, Dwamena helped the RB Ghana U17 team to a silver medal performance, and was named the tournament's Best Player.[1] Before returning to Ghana, Dwamena and his teammate, David Atanga, first traveled to Austria for a one-week trial with FC Red Bull Salzburg.[2]

Dwamena joined the Salzburg youth team in January 2014,[3] and immediately made an impact on the U18 squad. In one tournament in June, he racked up seven goals in four games. Although Salzburg finished in third, he won the Golden Shoe.[4]

FC Liefering

In July 2014, Dwamena was promoted to FC Liefering, the Salzburg farm team playing in the Austrian Football First League. He made his professional debut on 18 July, where in the 82nd minute of a 3–0 win over Hartberg, Dwamena was substituted in for Nikola Dovedan. He was one of six Liefering players making their professional debuts that day.[5] He played in one more game that season.

During the 2015–16 season, Dwamena made his first start for Liefering on 21 August against Wiener Neustadt. He played the 90 minutes in place of Smail Prevljak.[6] On 18 September, in his fifth straight start, Dwamena scored his first professional goal. He scored in a 4–1 win over Austria Klagenfurt.[7][8]

Austria Lustenau

Dwamena enjoyed a successful half-season with Austria Lustenau, scoring 18 goals in 20 games, before his transfer to FC Zürich.

FC Zürich

Raphael Dwamena completed a transfer to FC Zürich on 27 January 2017.[9] He made an immediate impact at his new club by scoring 12 goals in 18 matches, helping Zürich to win the 2016–17 Swiss Challenge League and gain promotion to the Swiss Super League.[10][11]

On his Swiss Super League debut, Dwamena scored two goals against Grasshoppers.

On 21 August 2017, Zürich agreed a fee with Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion for the transfer of Dwamena. He was set to join Brighton subject to passing a medical, obtaining a work permit and international clearance,[12] however the deal fell through after Dwamena failed his medical due to a heart condition.[13] He instead, remained an FC Zürich player.

Levante and loan to Zaragoza

On 7 August 2018, Dwamena signed a four-year contract with La Liga side Levante UD.[14] The following 16 July, he was loaned out to Segunda División club Real Zaragoza for one year.[15]

In October 2019, after new examinations were carried on his heart condition, the doctors recommended his immediate withdrawal and retirement from football.[16] He, however, continued after having implemented an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) in January 2020.[17]

Vejle

On 20 August 2020, Dwamena moved to Vejle Boldklub in the Danish Superliga.[18][19] He scored in his debut in the Superliga, as Vejle lost 4–2 to rivals AGF.[20] He was withdrawn from team activities after complications of his heart condition were detected before a Superliga match against AaB.[21] At that point, he had made five league appearances for the newly-promoted Superliga club and scored twice.[22]

International career

Dwamena didn't get the chance to play for the youth national teams of his country Ghana. Raphael Dwamena was called into the senior team as part of the 30-man squad for the 2017 African Cup of Nations but was dropped from the 23-man squad.[23]

Raphael Dwamena made his international debut on the 11 June 2017 in an African Cup of Nations qualifier against Ethiopia, where he scored a brace to mark the new era of youngsters being introduced into the national team.[24]

Personal life

Dwamena has a heart condition. In January 2020, while at Levante UD he had an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implanted through surgery, which enabled his club to monitor his heart during matches.[25][21] In October 2020, the ICD showed values which were considered too high, and his club at the time, Vejle Boldklub, withdrew him from team activities as a result.[21]

Career statistics

Club
As of 2 August 2018[26]
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Liefering 2014–15 2000--0020
2015–16 25600--00256
Total 27600--00276
Austria Lustenau 2016–17 201823--002221
Total 201823--002221
Zürich 2016–17 181210--001912
2017–18 32944--003613
Total 502154--005525
Career Total 974577--0010452

International Games
National teamYearAppsGoals
Ghana 201732
Total32

International goals
Scores and results list Ghana's goal tally first.[27]
NoDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.11 June 2017Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi, Ghana Ethiopia4–05–02019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
2.5–0

Honours

Club
Liefering
FC Zurich

References
  1. "Red Bull claim silver and individual awards in Croix". Ghana Football Association. 24 May 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  2. "RB Ghana U17 becomes second again". Red Bull Ghana. 21 May 2013. Archived from the original on 30 July 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  3. "Liefering verjüngt den Kader weiter". fussball-imnetz.at (in German). 17 June 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  4. Sturm, Michael (9 June 2014). "Sechste Finalniederlage bei siebter Mainzer Teilnahme in Ergenzingen". tagblatt.de (in German). Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  5. "Liefering zum Auftakt souverän - und erster Tabellenführer!". FC Red Bull Salzburg (in German). 18 July 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  6. "FC Liefering 0 - 1 SC Wiener Neustadt". weltfussball.at (in German). 21 August 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  7. Frimpong, Akyereko (18 September 2015). "Ghanaian youth forward Ralph Dwamena scores to power Liefering to victory in Austria". ghanasoccernet.com. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  8. "FC Liefering gewinnt auch gegen Klagenfurt". FC Red Bull Salzburg. 18 September 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  9. "Der FC Zürich verpflichtet Stürmer Raphael Dwamena". 27 January 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  10. Osei, S.K. "Goal machine: Meet Raphael Dwamena, the Ghanaian striker with 30 goals in Europe this season". Retrieved 2017-06-14.
  11. "Raphael Dwamena Profile and Statistics". Soccerpunter.com. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  12. "Albion Agree Terms for Raphael Dwamena". Brighton & Hove Albion Official Site. 21 August 2017.
  13. "Dwamena deal off as £10 million striker lined up by Albion fails a medical". The Argus. 25 August 2017.
  14. "Raphael Dwamena, granota hasta 2022" [Raphael Dwamena, granota until 2022] (in Spanish). Levante UD. 7 August 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  15. "El Levante UD y el Real Zaragoza pactan la cesión de Raphael Dwamena" [Levante UD and Real Zaragoza agree the loan of Raphael Dwamena] (in Spanish). Levante UD. 16 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  16. Valero, Santiago (10 October 2019). "Los especialistas recomiendan a Dwamena que se retire inmediatamente". El Periódico de Aragón (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  17. Freeman Yeboah, Thomas. "Ghanaian striker Raphael Dwamena undergoes successful heart surgery". Pulse. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  18. "El Levante UD y el Vejle Boldklub acuerdan el traspaso de Raphael Dwamena" (in Spanish). Levante UD. 20 August 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  19. "Vejle Boldklub henter angriber fra La Liga-klub – Vejle Boldklub" (in Danish). Velje BK. 20 August 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  20. "Målfarlige AGF knækker Vejle i sæsonpremiere" (in Danish). TV 2. 14 September 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020. Towards the end of the match, however, Vejle managed to score twice and create renewed tension. First, Ghanaian debutant Raphael Dwamena scored on a low strike from the edge of the box, and then Finnish Juhani Ojala came on the scoreboard with a header after a corner kick in the 84th minute.
  21. Nordestgaard Lage, Jacob; Ipsen, Christian (26 October 2020). "Angriber har spillet sin sidste kamp for Superligaens førerhold". TV 2 (in Danish). Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  22. Teye, Prince Narkortu (27 October 2020). "Raphael Dwamena: Another setback for Ghana striker with his heart condition". goal.com. GOAL. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  23. "FEATURE: Dropping Majeed Waris and Raphael Dwamena is a demonstration of technical and tactical bankruptcy by Avram Grant - GHANAsoccernet.com". social_image. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
  24. "Black Stars two-goal hero Raphael Dwamena grateful to Kumasi fans - GHANAsoccernet.com". social_image. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
  25. Freeman Yeboah, Thomas. "Ghanaian striker Raphael Dwamena undergoes successful heart surgery". Pulse. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  26. Raphael Dwamena at Soccerway
  27. "Dwamena, Raphael". National Football Teams. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  28. Yeboah, Thomas Freeman. "Raphael Dwamena wins Swiss Cup with FC Zurich". Retrieved 2018-05-28.
  29. "Schweizerischer Fussballverband - Statistik und Resultate". www.football.ch (in German). Retrieved 2018-05-28.
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