Former Ghana and Hearts of Oak star Jonathan Ankrah ‘Joe Dakota’ who died in Maryland has been buried in the USA on Friday, 17th April, 2020.

The former Hearts of Oak player, died in USA on Thursday April 9, 2020 after battling a short illness.

Dakota who was in his 70s was buried with a few family members around due to the regulation on public gathering in this era of COVID-19.

The former Hearts man died a natural death and not of COVID-19 as many have already reported, and that has been confirmed by his wife and daughter to footballmadeinghana.com.

Joe Dakota joined Hearts of Oak in 1964, a generation which had the likes of Amusa Gbadamodi, Abeka Ankrah, Robert Foli, Joe Ghartey, Prince Amartey, Mike Alhassan, Nii Tei Lartey and others. Big Joe also played for the Agona-Swedru All Blacks.

Ghana’s football legend Osei Kofi described Joe Dakota as “Roger Milla of Ghanaian soccer”.

Joe Dakota, together with former Kotoko playmaker Stephen Oduro, is considered as having played consistently for the longest period in the local scene.

Big Joe stepped into the local game in late 1964 and played until mid-July of 1985 when he left for the United States.

At 45years, and playing in Division One in Ghana, he is considered as Ghana’s oldest to be active in the game.

In his international football career, Joe Dakota together with the late John Eshun, and Oliver Acquah were part of Ghana’s team to the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico in which Amusa Gbadamoshi emerged as Ghana’s best player, with Malik Jabir of Kotoko emerging as Ghana’s top scorer.

Kpapko Allotey, Sam Amarteifio, Christian Madus, Robert Folley, and Jones Attuquayefio were part of that team.