Prince Tagoe


Prince Tagoe is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Chittagong Abahani.
At international level, Tagoe represented Ghana 36 times and scored seven goals. He was a member of the Black Stars at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Club career

Early years

Born in Accra, Tagoe started out at local club Tudu Mighty Jets. He made his senior debuts with Midtjylland-Maamobi in the lower national league. While playing on loan for Hearts of Oak, Tagoe became the Ghana Premier League top scorer with 18 goals in 2005.
In January 2006, Tagoe was close to sign for German club Mainz 05, but the transfer failed. He eventually moved to Saudi Arabian side Ittihad. 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 with eight goals in six matches.

1899 Hoffenheim

On 9 June 2009, Tagoe signed a three-year contract with Bundesliga 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 regulations. Tagoe was originally unable to play in the Bundesliga as his playing license was revoked when it was revealed that the original documentation of his physical examinations had been faked.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 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, Tagoe 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. He scored his first goal for the club in the DFB-Pokal quarter-finals against Werder Bremen on 9 February. His first Bundesliga goals came on 1 May 2010 against Eintracht Frankfurt, 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 Partizan 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. Tagoe also scored a goal in the next two rounds against Hajduk Kula and OFK Beograd. He continued his fantastic start for Partizan with two goals in the first leg of the Serbian Cup semi-final against cross-town rivals Red Star Belgrade. During his stint at Partizan, Tagoe scored 12 times, as the club won the double. 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. He scored his first goal for the club in a 1–1 draw against Orduspor 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 side Kelantan FA, 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 and going to be replaced by former Kelantan FA player Obinna Nwaneri 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 2010 FIFA World Cup player to play with Kelantan FA can be fulfilled. On 11 May 2014, the case has been solved and was confirmed by Kelantan FA president Annuar Musa through his Facebook account that Tagoe can play for Kelantan FA on 17 May 2014 against Perak FA.

Hapoel Bnei Lod

In late November 2014, Tagoe signed a short-term contract with Israeli club Hapoel Bnei Lod. He played one game in the Liga Leumit, the second tier of Israeli football, coming on as a late second-half substitute in a 0–0 draw against Hapoel Nazareth Illit.

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 Chittagong Abahani of Bangladesh for 2019 Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup.The port city outfit wanted to give a surprise to the local fans by including a World Cupper, without assessing the present condition of Tagoe, who has not been playing regularly in the last four years.
When he arrived in Chittagong two days before the meet, everyone in the team was surprised, but there was nothing to do but to include him in the squad because the registration deadline had already finished.
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

After making his full international debut for Ghana in a friendly against Togo, Tagoe was named in the final 23-man squad for the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations by Ratomir Dujković. He only played a total of 49 minutes, as the team exited the tournament at the group stage.
Tagoe was selected by Milovan Rajevac as part of the final 23-man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He played in all three group matches, as a starter, but did not enter on the pitch in the knockout stage, where Ghana was eliminated by Uruguay in the quarter-finals.

Statistics

Club

International

International goals

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
11 June 2008Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi1–03–02010 FIFA World Cup qualification
222 June 2008Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra1–02–02010 FIFA World Cup qualification
311 February 2009Cairo International Stadium, Cairo2–12–2Friendly
429 March 2009Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi1–01–02010 FIFA World Cup qualification
55 September 2010Somhlolo National Stadium, Lobamba2–03–02012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
627 March 2011Stade Alphonse Massemba-Débat, Brazzaville1–03–02012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
73 June 2011Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi2–03–12012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

Honours

Club

;Hearts of Oak
;Partizan