Former Hearts of Oak midfielder Joe Tagoe, widely known as "Bobby Short," has made a startling revelation, admitting he reduced his age from 35 to 19 during his football career.
Tagoe, famed for his creativity and diminutive stature on the pitch, attributed his decision to falsify his age to financial struggles and systemic pressures faced by players in Ghana.
In an interview with ATV, Tagoe recounted how he altered his documents in 2017 to accept an offer to play for an Egyptian U-19 team.
"I was home and got a call from Francis Martey that they wanted an under-19 player for a team in Egypt," Tagoe explained. "Looking at my height and skills, I said okay. At that time, I was recovering from an injury but training regularly. So, I had to change my passport to show I was 19. In reality, I was 34 or 35 years old. Poverty made me do it, and the system was not fair to us."
Tagoe described the intense physical toll of playing alongside much younger teammates, revealing that the demands of training pushed him to the brink.
"I would have died if I hadn't taken care of myself," he admitted. "They noticed I was more mature than the younger players, so they made me train with both the senior team and the U-20s. The U-20s required a lot of running, and I always felt dizzy after training. It was clear my age was catching up with me."
To hide his true age, Tagoe resorted to dyeing his greying hair every morning, but the physical strain eventually became unbearable.
"My grey hair was already showing, so I always carried dye to cover it every day. But I decided to quit because I knew I wouldn't survive. If they had asked me to reduce my age to 15, I would have done it. Many players like me are forced into similar situations."
Despite the challenges, Joe Tagoe remains a memorable figure in Ghanaian football. His performances for Hearts of Oak earned him cult status, and his confession sheds light on the harsh realities many players face in pursuit of their football dreams.
