Former Hearts of Oak player Joe Tagoe, also known as Bobby Short, has spoken out about his near-death experience after lying about his age at an Egyptian club.
Bobby Short, who enjoyed success with Hearts of Oak in the domestic league, revealed that he suffered a potentially fatal injury that kept him from playing for several months.
He made the decision to lower his age to make himself more appealing for clubs to sign him in an effort to get back into the game.
“I got injured and tried to get back. Nii Lante Bannerman wanted to help me, so I started training because by then I looked heavier than I am now. I went to Egypt and changed my age to 21,” Joe Tagoe told Dan Kwaku Yeboah
According to him, his coach, who thought he was 20 years old, made him undergo rigorous training, which could have cost him his life.
“The coach thought I was indeed 21 due to my height, so whenever we close from training, he will tell me to join the under-20 side to train.
“The way the boys were running I realized I couldn’t cheat nature and I don’t take care I will exchange my life with money so I had to come home,” Joe Tagoe said.
Upon returning to Ghana, Tagoe joined Cape Coast Ebusua Dwarfs but after a short stint at the club, the player bid farewell because they were unable to pay his meagre salary.
“When I returned home, I joined the Ebusua Dwarfs.” Over there, any time they have to pay me, they use this excuse of the club being a stepping stone for me. Meanwhile, I’m not a small boy; I have a family and a child to feed. I don’t even know which stepping stone again they are talking about so I had to quit because the pay was like 600 or 700 cedis in 2018,” he said.