They say tournaments give birth to shining stars and the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations gave Ghanaians a new icon to celebrate despite the Black Stars' ability to win the continental showpiece on home soil.
With 3 goals in 6 goals, Junior Manuel Agogo ended his 2008 tournament as the joint top scorer alongside midfielder Sulley Muntari to mark a perfect Africa Cup of Nations campaign.
Junior Manuel Agogo became the most admired and loved Ghanaian player after the 2008 AFCON and his death in 2019 was a massive blow to the football community who were already dealing with Ghana's disappointing campaign in the AFCON.
To mark the three-year anniversary since the death of Junior Agogo, we profile the former Nottingham Forest player who became a Black Stars icon.
Born in Accra on August 1, 1979, Junior Manuel Agogo moved to the UK at a tender age to continue his early education but returned to Ghana for his secondary school at the St. Augustine School in the Central Regional capital, Cape Coast.
He began his footballing career in the youth team of Sheffield Wednesday in 1997 before making his senior team appearance at the age of 18.
His inability to break into the first team consistently made him a journeyman throughout his stay at the Hillsborough Stadium.
Agogo featured for Oldham Athletic, Chester City, Chesterfield, and Lincoln City all on loan from Sheffield Wednesday between 1998 to 2000 before securing a permanent move to Chicago Fire in the Major League Soccer.
He couldn't find his feet at Chicago Fire and was released after just a year, making a single appearance for the club.
Throughout his entire career, Junior Agogo's best period as a striker came during his time with Bristol Rovers in the English Championship after making 126 appearances and scoring 41 goals which put him on the radar of Black Stars coach Ratomir Dujkovic.
He continued his fine form at Nottingham Forest from 2006 to 2008 where he banged in 20 goals in 64 appearances but couldn't replicate same in the Egyptian league for Zamalek.
In the Ghana national team, Junior Agogo made his Black Stars debut after the 2006 AFCON in May 2006 for a friendly game against French League One club OGC Nice.
He also featured in the Kirin Cup against Japan and South Korea but was dropped from the World Cup squad by Ratomir Dujkovic.
Agogo scored his first Black Stars goal in an international friendly game against Australia on November 14, 2006, but caught the attention of Ghanaians after scoring in the friendly game against the Super Eagles of Nigeria in Ghana's 4-1 victory.
In his debut in the Africa Cup of Nations in 2008, he needed just 20 minutes to score his first goal to help Ghana beat Guinea 2-1 at the Accra Sports Stadium.
He was largely a success in the 2008 AFCON and his winning goal and celebration against the Super Eagles in the semi-finals created the popular "Agogo dance" which was recreated all over the country.
Agogo scored 12 goals in 27 matches in the Black Stars jersey between 2006 and 2009.
His last club as a football was Hibernian in 2012 before he was diagnosed with stroke.
The former Black Stars and Nottingham Forest striker passed away in a London hospital at the age of 40.
Author: Joel Eshun
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The late former Black Stars striker, Junior Manuel Agogo