Former Levante, Real Zaragoza, and Ghanaian forward Raphael Dwamena knowingly took risks with his life by continuing to play football, revealed his former doctor. Dwamena, who tragically collapsed during a game in Albania and couldn't be revived, passed away due to a cardiac arrest resulting from a heart arrhythmia.

His cardiologist, Antonio Asso, explained that Dwamena was aware of the risk, and his heart condition was known during his time in Spain. Asso had fitted him with a pacemaker to regulate his heartbeat. Despite this, Dwamena chose not to retire and continued playing football, even requesting the removal of the pacemaker a year before his demise.

“A couple of years ago, they told me that the pacemaker had saved his life when he had a malignant arrhythmia that had been correctly treated, automatically, by the device. We had subsequently lost contact. A year ago, I learned from the press that he had requested the removal of the defibrillator implanted by us, and that it had finally been explanted (I think in Switzerland). It was already too late, his decision was irrevocable, and he placed all his responsibility on himself and on the will of the God, in which he believed. From that moment, I was aware that one day the tragedy that occurred on Saturday on a soccer field in Albania could happen.” Dwamena had a 12-year football career, including two years in Spain at Levante and Real Zaragoza, and earned eight caps for Ghana, scoring twice.