Former Hearts of Oak player, Joe Tagoe popularly known as Bobby Short has shared his ordeal of how he nearly lost his life after reducing his age at a club in Egypt.

Bobby Short who had a good stint with Hearts of Oak in the domestic league disclosed that he got a career-threatening injury which ruled him out of the game for months.

In a bid to get back to into the game, he decided to reduce his age to make him attractive for clubs to buy.

"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 how 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 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 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.


JNA/KPE