Former Black Stars striker Junior Agogo has died after a long battle with illness.
A source close to the family told Starrfm.com.gh that the former Zamalek player, 40, passed on in London Thursday morning.
Agogo was hospitalized in 2015 after suffering stroke which made it impossible for him to write and talk properly.
He is fondly remembered for his eye-catching performances for the Black Stars during the 2008 Nations Cup on home soil.
Agogo was first called into the senior national team in May 2006 for a friendly against French league side OGC Nice.
However, he was not included in the final Ghanaian World Cup squad. He was recalled to the Ghana squad for an East Asia tour in which he faced Japan and South Korea.
On 14 November 2006, Agogo scored his first goal for Ghana, the equaliser in a friendly against Australia; the game finished 1–1. He also scored the third goal in Ghana’s 4–1 victory over Nigeria, played at Brentford’s Griffin Park.
Agogo was called up to the Ghana squad for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations. He played in the first game of the cup against Guinea, hitting the post with a header in the 20th minute and helping Ghana to a 2–1 victory.
He then scored in the following game against Namibia, tapping home Michael Essien’s cross for the only goal of the game.
Agogo then netted another goal, the winner in the quarter final against Nigeria. Ghana missed out on the final, however, and had to settle for a third-place play-off against Ivory Coast, in which he scored again in a 4–2 victory. Alongside Sulley Muntari he was Ghana’s top scorer in the competition, and the 5th highest scorer overall.
In total, Agogo scored 12 goals in 27 matches for the national team between 2006 and 2009.
The forward spent most of his career in the United Kingdom and the MLS and hung up his boots following a brief stint at Hibernian.
Having started his career by coming through the academy at Sheffield Wednesday, he spent spells on loan in the lower reaches of English football to hone his talents.
Between 2000-01 he starred for Colorado Rapids in the United States, scoring 11 times in 32 games.
A short spell at QPR followed but he moved to Barnet in 2002 where he found his form in front of goal again with 19 in 39 games.
The output earned him a move to Bristol Rovers where he spent the next three years clocking up more than 100 appearances, netting 41 times in the process before signing for Nottingham Forest on an undisclosed fee.
At the City Ground Agogo notched 20 goals over the next two seasons before leaving for pastures new. Spells at Zemalek and Apollon Limassol followed in Greece before he played his final game for Hibernian.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM
