Prince Tagoe (born 9 November 1986) is a

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

ian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who last played as a striker for

Chittagong Abahani Chittagong Abahani Limited ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম আবাহনী লিমিটেড), also spelled as Chattogram Abahani or Chittagong Abahoni, is a sports club based in Chittagong, Bangladesh. A wing of Abahani Limited was ...

and is currently working as a sports television panellist along with Charles Taylor on Angel TV sports programme. Born in Accra, Ghana, Tagoe played for Accra-based team

Hearts of Oak Hearts most commonly refers to: * Hearts (card game), a trick-taking game * Hearts (suit), one of the standard four suits of cards * Heart, an organ Hearts may also refer to: Music * The Hearts, an American girl group closely related to the Jay ...

from 2004 to 2005, where he won the

Ghana Premier League The is the top professional association football division of the football league system in Ghana. Officially formed in 1956 to replace a previous league incarnation, the Gold Coast Club Competition (which began in 1933 and ended in 1953–54), t ...

in 2004 and the

CAF Confederation Cup The CAF Confederation Cup, known as the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup for sponsorship purposes, is an annual association football club competition established in 2004 from a merger of the CAF Cup and the African Cup Winners' Cup and organi ...

also in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

. Helping Hearts of Oak to the league title, he scored 18 goals to win the top goal scorer of the league that season. He went on and played in Asia for Saudi Arabian sides

Ittihad The Ittihad Party ( az, İttihad firqəsi) was a radical Islamist party in the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in 1917–1920. It was formed in September 1917 in opposition to the secular Musavat Party and proposed political unity of all the Musl ...

, UAE side Al Shabab and

Ettifaq FC Al Ettifaq Football Club ( ar, نادي الاتفاق لكرة القدم) is a professional football club in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Al-Ettifaq was established after the merging of three clubs in the city of Dammam at the year 1944. Al Ettifaq i ...

also in Saudi Arabia. He secured a 3-year deal to

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...

side 1899 Hoffenheim in 2009 but only played 20 league matches and scored 2 goals. In 2011, he joined Serbian club

Partizan Partizan may refer to: Sport * JSD Partizan, a sports society from Belgrade, Serbia, which includes the following clubs: **AK Partizan, athletics ** Biciklistički Klub Partizan, cycling ** Džudo Klub Partizan, judo **FK Partizan, association fo ...

where he scored 12 times (nine league and three cup goals), as the club won the double, winning the

2010–11 Serbian SuperLiga The 2010–11 Serbian SuperLiga (known as the Jelen SuperLiga for sponsorship reasons) was the fifth season of the Serbian SuperLiga, the top football league of Serbia, since its establishment in 2006. It began on 14 August 2010 and ended on 29 ...

and

2010–11 Serbian Cup The 2010–11 Serbian Cup season is fifth season of the Serbian national football tournament. The competition started on 1 September 2010 and concluded with the Final on 11 May 2011. FK Partizan won the title 2–1 over FK Vojvodina in controversi ...

. At international level, Tagoe represented Ghana 36 times and scored seven goals. He featured at two African Cup of Nationals finals, in

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

and in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

. He was also a member of the Black Stars at the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

. during his playing time with Hearts of Oak, he was nicknamed the ''''Prince of goals'''' due his striking prowess.

Club career

Early years

Born in

Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...

,Ghana. Tagoe started out at local club Tudu Mighty Jets. He made his senior debuts with Midtjylland-Maamobi in the lower national league. He later joined Accra Hearts of Oak in 2004 and went on loan to Ittihad FC in Saudi Arabia before joining Al Shabab in UAE.

Hearts of Oak

Tagoe joined

on a one-year loan deal from Midtjylland-Maamobi. It was during his time at the Accra-based team that his prominence grew both at the national and continental level. He struck a hat-trick in Hearts of Oak's 5–1 demolition of Cameroon side Sable de Batie in the maiden

, which helped to push the club to the top their

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...

, qualify and set up an all Ghanaian final against their fierce rivals

Kumasi Asante Kotoko Asante Kotoko Sporting Club, simply known as Asante Kotoko, is a professional football club founded on 31 August 1935 and based in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Nicknamed the ''Porcupine Warriors'', they compete in the Ghana Premier Le ...

. In the final, he played in both legs as Hearts defeated their archrivals during a marathon 8–9 penalty shoot-out to win after the two legs ended 2–2 on aggregate. While playing on loan for

, Tagoe became the

top scorer with 18 goals in 2005 at the age of 19.

Saudi Arabia and UAE

In January 2006, Tagoe was close to sign for German club

Mainz 05 1. Fußball- und Sportverein Mainz 05 e. V., usually shortened to 1. FSV Mainz 05, Mainz 05 () or simply Mainz (), is a German sports club, founded in 1905 and based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. 1. FSV Mainz 05 play in the Bundesliga, the top ...

, but the transfer failed. He eventually moved to Saudi Arabian side

. In September 2007, he scored a brace in a 5–1 victory over Al Qadsiah. After six months, Tagoe moved to another Middle East country, this time to United Arab Emirates and signed for Al Shabab Al Arabi Club. This prompted Midtjylland-Maamobi to report Tagoe to FIFA as they believed the club had loaned him to Ittihad. After a year and 10 league goals for Al Shabab, Tagoe returned to Saudi Arabia to play for Ettifaq. He spent two years with Ettifaq, performing especially well during the

2009 AFC Champions League The 2009 AFC Champions League was the 28th edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 7th under the current AFC Champions League title. The final was held at the Nationa ...

with eight goals in six matches.

1899 Hoffenheim

On 9 June 2009, Tagoe signed a three-year contract with

side 1899 Hoffenheim, before being released from his contract on 1 August after only 51 days due to heart issues. Tagoe's lawyer contested the dismissal as a second opinion did not yield evidence of a heart condition. On 20 August, Tagoe was resigned to Hoffenheim after an announcement that his earlier release had contravened

FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...

regulations. He was originally unable to play in the Bundesliga as his playing license was revoked when it was revealed that the original documentation of his physical examinations had been faked. As a result of the falsification of the data,

Deutsche Fußball Liga The DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga GmbH, or simply Deutsche Fußball Liga ("German Football League"), and often shortened to DFL, is a wholly owned subsidiary of ''Die Liga – Fußballverband''. The DFL is responsible for entire operating business o ...

requested further medical examinations in order to assess Tagoe's fitness. On 21 October, DFL announced the health issue was not significant enough to warrant the cancellation of his contract and that the player could be in a position to have his license reinstated pending the results of the final test in December 2009. This medical test showed that he was fit and had not a cardiac defect. On 11 January 2010, he had his playing license reinstated and was eligible to play for his club. Finally, Tagoe made his debut for the club on 30 January 2010, coming on as an 82nd-minute substitute for Boris Vukčević, in a league match versus

Schalke 04 Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as FC Schalke 04 (), Schalke 04 (), or abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional German football and multi-sports club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine ...

. He scored his first goal for the club in the

DFB-Pokal The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...

quarter-finals against

Werder Bremen Sportverein Werder Bremen von 1899 e. V. (), commonly known as Werder Bremen (), Werder or simply Bremen, is a German professional sports club based in Bremen, Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. Founded on 4 February 1899, they are be ...

on 9 February. His first Bundesliga goals came on 1 May 2010 against

Eintracht Frankfurt Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The team is currently playing in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the Germa ...

, when he came from the bench and scored a brace for a 2–1 away victory.

Loan to Partizan

On 31 January 2011, Tagoe joined Serbian club

on loan until the end of the 2010–11 season, with a view to a permanent deal. He marked his competitive debut scoring a brace in a league match against

Inđija Inđija (, ; hu, India) is a town and a municipality located in the Srem District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2011, the town has total population of 26,025, while the municipality has 47,433 inhabitants. It is located ...

. Tagoe also scored a goal in the next two rounds against

Hajduk Kula FK Hajduk Kula (Serbian Cyrillic: ФК Хајдук Кула) was a Serbian football club based in Kula. The club was named after a Hajduk, a much celebrated hero figure in the Serbian epic poetry. On 30 July 2013, just eleven days before start ...

(away) and

OFK Beograd OFK Beograd ( sr-Cyrl, ОФК Београд – Омладински фудбалски клуб Београд, English: ''Belgrade Youth Football Club'') is a Serbian professional football club based in Belgrade, more precisely in Karaburma, ...

(home). He continued his fantastic start for Partizan with two goals in the first leg of the

Serbian Cup The Serbian Cup ( Serbian: Куп Србије, Kup Srbije) is the national football cup of Serbia. The winner of the competition gets a spot in the UEFA Europa League qualifying round. From 2006 to 2010, the competition was known as the Lav Cup ...

semi-final against cross-town rivals

Red Star Belgrade Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club, ), commonly known as Red Star Belgrade in English-language media, is a Serbian professional football club based in Bel ...

. In April 2011, he also scored the lone goal in a match against rivals Red Star to send Partizan three points clear of their rivals as league leaders. During his stint at Partizan, Tagoe scored 12 times (nine league and three cup goals), as the club won the double, winning the

and

. Despite his good performances, Tagoe did not stay at the club.

Bursaspor

On 1 September 2011, Tagoe signed a three-year deal with Turkish side

Bursaspor Bursaspor Kulübü Derneği (), commonly known as Bursaspor, is a Turkish sports club located in the city of Bursa. Formed in 1963, the club colours are green and white, with home kits usually featuring both colours in a striped pattern. In th ...

. He scored his first goal for the club in a 1–1 draw against

Orduspor Orduspor was a Turkish football club founded in 1967. The club was located in Ordu, Turkey and played their home games at 19 Eylül Stadium. The team managed to qualify for the Turkish Super League again in 2011. But, the last spell in top level ...

on 26 October 2011. That was his only goal in 11 league appearances during the 2011–12 season.

Loan to Ettifaq

In January 2013, Tagoe joined his former club Ettifaq on a six-month loan.

Kelantan FA

In late April 2014, Tagoe was unveiled as a new signing of

Malaysia Super League The Malaysia Super League ( ms, Liga Super Malaysia) is the men's top professional football division of the Malaysian football league system. Administered by the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP), now known as the Malays ...

side

Kelantan FA Kelantan Football Club ( ms, Kelab Bola Sepak Kelantan) is a Malaysian professional football club based in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. The club plays in the Malaysia Super League, the top tier of Malaysian football since 2023. Founded in 1946, the ...

, penning a six-month contract. In early May 2014, it was said that Tagoe cannot play for Kelantan FA due to the non availability of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and going to be replaced by former Kelantan FA player

Obinna Nwaneri Obinna Nwaneri (born 19 March 1982) is a retired Nigerian footballer who plays as centre back or right back position but can also play as a forward. His name, Obinna, means "''Father's heart''" in Igbo. He is described as mobile central defend ...

who was replaced with him during the April transfer window. However, this was denied by Kelantan FA manager Azman Ibrahim who said that Kelantan FA are still hoping to use him in the Malaysia Super League and believe that the case can be solved and the supporter wish to see the former

player to play with Kelantan FA can be fulfilled. On 11 May 2014, the case was solved and was confirmed by Kelantan FA president

Annuar Musa Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Annuar bin Musa ( Jawi: أنور بن موسى; born 18 May 1956) is a Malaysian politician who served as the Minister of Communications and Multimedia in the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration under former ...

through his

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

account that Tagoe could play for Kelantan FA on 17 May 2014 against

Perak FA Perak Football Club or Perak F.C. is a professional association football, football club based in Ipoh. Founded in 1921, the club's home ground since then has been Perak Stadium in Ipoh, Perak. The club represents the state of Perak in Malaysian ...

Hapoel Bnei Lod

In late November 2014, Tagoe signed a short-term contract with Israeli club

Hapoel Bnei Lod Hapoel Bnei Lod Rakevet F.C. () are a football club, from the central Israeli city of Lod. The club plays in an all-red kit, and are currently in , the third tier of Israeli football. Home matches are played at the Lod Municipal Stadium. Histor ...

. He played one game in the

Liga Leumit Liga Leumit ( he, ליגה לאומית, lit. ''National League'') is the second division of the Israeli Football League, and below its Premier League. Structure There are 16 clubs in the league. At the end of each season, the two lowest-place ...

, the second tier of Israeli football, coming on as a late second-half substitute in a 0–0 draw against

Hapoel Nazareth Illit Hapoel Nof HaGalil Football Club (, ar, هبوعيل نوف هچليل) is an Israeli football club based in the city of Nof HaGalil, Formally known by the name "Nazareth Illit" until 2019 (The club accordingly was named as Hapoel Nazareth Ill ...

Later years

In May 2016, Tagoe denied his retirement from professional football despite being without a club for over a year. In August 2018, after being unattached for more than three and a half years, Tagoe signed with Turkish side Isparta Davrazspor. He, however, parted ways with the club just a few weeks later, failing to make an appearance.

Bangladesh

In October 2019, he signed with

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

for

2019 Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup The 2019 Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup, also known as ''Sheikh Kamal Gold Cup 2019'', was the 3rd edition of Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup, an international club football tournament hosted by the Chittagong Abahani in association with ...

. The port city outfit wanted to give a surprise to the local fans by including a player who had featured in the World Cup, without assessing the present condition of Tagoe, who had not been playing regularly in the last four years. When he arrived in

Chittagong Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in B ...

two days before the

meet Meet may refer to: People with the name * Janek Meet (born 1974), Estonian footballer * Meet Mukhi (born 2005), Indian child actor Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Meet'' (TV series), an early Australian television series which aired on ABC du ...

, the team was surprised about his fitness level and physical condition, but nothing could be done about the situation than to include him in the squad because the registration deadline had already passed. Out of six foreign players the 2015 champion brought in with the target to win the title again, it was only Tagoe who could not prove himself fit enough to play a single minute in the three group phase games.

International career

Youth

Tagoe played for the Ghana under-20 team between 2005 and 2006 along with future internationals,

Anthony Annan Anthony Gildas Kofi Annan (born 21 July 1986) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder. Club career Playing in Ghana Born in Accra, Anthony Annan began playing football with a local colts Super Rainbow Stars in Cape Coast ...

and

Harrison Afful Harrison Afful (born 24 July 1986) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a fullback for Charlotte FC and the Ghana national team. He appeared previously for Feyenoord Academy, Espérance de Tunis, Columbus Crew, and Charlotte ...

. In 2005, he played in the WAFU Zone B tournament and scored 3 goals to helped Ghana clinch the title ahead of the ECOWAS 30th Anniversary tournament. He was adjudged Most Valuable Player and top scorer at the end of the tournament. Between 2007 and 2008, He also played for the Ghana Olympics team, the Black Meteors. He formed a striking partnership with future Ghana captain

Asamoah Gyan Asamoah Gyan ( ; born 22 November 1985) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who last played as a striker for Legon Cities FC and is the former captain of the Ghanaian national team. Gyan began his career in 2003 with Ghanaian Premier Leag ...

with duo scoring on several occasions. The duo scored three goals each during the 2008 Olympics qualifiers but failed to win their final match against

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

which ended in a goalless draw. Subsequently, qualified Nigeria to the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

as group A winners after they won their final match against

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

Senior

After making his full international debut for

in a friendly against

Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...

, Tagoe was named in the final 23-man squad for the

2006 Africa Cup of Nations The 2006 Africa Cup of Nations was the 25th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the association football championship of Africa. It was hosted by Egypt. Just like in 2004, the field of sixteen teams was split into four groups of four. Egypt w ...

Ratomir Dujković Ratomir Dujković (Serbian Cyrillic: Ратомир Дујковић, born 24 February 1946) is a Serbian football manager and a former player. Playing career Born and raised in Borovo Naselje to an ethnic Serb family, Dujković attended Ivan ...

. He only played a total of 49 minutes (appearing in two games), as the team exited the tournament at the group stage. Tagoe was selected by

Milovan Rajevac Milovan Rajevac (Serbian: Милован Рајевац; born 2 January 1954) is a Serbian football manager and former professional player who is currently the technical director of Muangthong United. Playing career Born in Čajetina, Rajevac p ...

as part of the final 23-man squad for the

in South Africa. He played in all three group matches, as a starter, but did not feature during the

knockout stage A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...

, where Ghana was eliminated by

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

in the quarter-finals.

Style of play

Tagoe played primarily as a

centre forward Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

or a striker. In 2006, prior to the 2006 African Cup of Nations, Ghana coach

stated that "He is a promising player and I think he will be one of Africa's best players in the near future,". With a height of over six feet, Tagoe could be played a target man with good aerial controls and heading ability. He boosts of having speed and an outstanding vision along with an eye for goal and clinical finishing which contributed to him scoring 18 goals in the 2004-05 Ghana Premier League. These qualities and his goal-scoring prowess earned him the nickname the ''''Prince of goals''.'' In 2006, FIFA.com, also made reference to him being seen as the ''Prince of Darkness'' to his defenders and markers who he could outrun and punish by scoring goals due to his lanky physique and speed. Due to his speed he was mostly played as a right winger by

during the

. He later on revealed that he struggled in that role and referred if he had been a backup striker to

or played in a two top striker formation along with Gyan as the duo did whilst playing for the Black Meteors, the Ghana under-23 team.

Television, punditry

In March 2021, After playing outside Ghana for over 13 years, Tagoe returned to Ghana and was recruited to work as a sports television panellist along with Charles Taylor on Angel TV sports programme. In 2021, he showed his plight with new Ghana national team budget of $25 million which Ghana president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo disclosed had been earmarked for the upcoming 2022 World Cup qualifiers and the Africa Cup of Nations tournament campaigns.

Statistics

Club

International

International goals

:''Ghana score listed first; score column indicates score after each Tagoe goal.''

Honours

;Hearts of Oak *

: 2004 *

;Partizan *

Serbian SuperLiga The Serbian Super League ( sr, Супер лига Србије / Super liga Srbije), referred to as the Mozzart Bet Super League ( sr, Моцарт Бет Супер лига / Mozzart Bet Super liga) for sponsorship reasons, is a Serbian profes ...

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

Individual *

Top Scorer: 2004–05 *

UAE Pro League The UAE Pro League ( ar, دوري المحترفين الإماراتي), known for sponsorship reasons as the ADNOC Pro League, is the top professional football league in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The first team to win the title was Al O ...

Goal of the season: 2006–07

References

External links