Quick Facts
Biography
Prince Tagoe (born 9 November 1986) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a striker.
Tagoe represented Ghana at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Club career
Early years
Born in Accra, Tagoe began playing youth football with Tudu Mighty Jets. He began playing senior football with Midtjylland-Maamobi in the lower national league. While playing on loan for Hearts of Oak, Tagoe became the top scorer of the 2005 Ghana Premier League with 18 goals. In January 2006, Tagoe was close to sign for 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 and also had a great effect during the 2009 AFC Champions League with eight goals in six matches.
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 Tagoe was originally unable to play in the Bundesliga as his playing license was revoked when it was revealed that the original documentation of his physical examinations had been faked.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, on 30 January 2010, Tagoe made his debut for the club, 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 (away) and OFK Beograd (home). He continued his fantastic start for Partizan with two goals in the first leg of the Serbian Cup semi-final against cross-town rivals Crvena zvezda. During his stint at Partizan, Tagoe scored 12 times (9 league and 3 cup goals), 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 Bursa 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.
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 he cannot play for Kelantan FA due to the non availability of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) 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 Liga Leumit club Hapoel Bnei Lod.
International career
Tagoe was called to the national team for the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations by the coach Ratomir Dujković. He only played a total of 49 minutes for his team which did not make it into the quarter-finals.
He was selected by the coach 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.
International goals
- Scores and results list Ghana's goal tally first.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 June 2008 | Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi |  Libya | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 22 June 2008 | Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra |  Gabon | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 11 February 2009 | Cairo International Stadium, Cairo |  Egypt | 2–1 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 4 | 29 March 2009 | Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi |  Benin | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 5 September 2010 | Somhlolo National Stadium, Lobamba |  Swaziland | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 6 | 27 March 2011 | Stade Alphonse Massemba-Débat, Brazzaville |  Congo | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 7 | 3 June 2011 | Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi | Congo | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Hoffenheim | 2009–10 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | 0 | 0 | 13 | 3 | |
| 2010–11 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Partizan | 2010–11 | 15 | 9 | 3 | 3 | – | 0 | 0 | 18 | 12 | |
| Hoffenheim | 2011–12 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Bursaspor | 2011–12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | |
| Ettifaq | 2012–13 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 6 | 0 | 14 | 1 | |
| Kelantan FA | 2014 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
International
| Ghana national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2006 | 4 | 0 |
| 2007 | 1 | 0 |
| 2008 | 6 | 2 |
| 2009 | 5 | 2 |
| 2010 | 8 | 1 |
| 2011 | 8 | 2 |
| 2012 | 4 | 0 |
| Total | 36 | 7 |
Honours
Club
- Hearts of Oak
- Ghana Premier League: 2004
- CAF Confederation Cup: 2004
- Partizan
- Serbian SuperLiga: 2010–11
- Serbian Cup: 2010–11
Individual
- Ghana Premier League Top Scorer (1): 2005