FIRST TEAM
03/16/2010

Inside 1899: "I want to say thank you to the fans"

The chanting becomes louder and louder as Prince Tagoe sheds his tracksuit and receives his final instructions from coach Ralf Rangnick. Demba Ba hobbles towards the touchline, applauding as his new colleague enters the field. "Prince, Prince, Prince" - his name rings through the Rhein-Neckar-Arena. At long last the Ghanaian striker makes his much anticipated debut for 1899 Hoffenheim.

"I was surprised and very grateful. I want to thank the fans from the bottom of my heart. It hasn't been an easy time for me over the past few months and I'm still not at 100 per cent, but I hope to show the fans the real Prince Tagoe soon," said the 23-year-old, who has celebrated his Bundesliga debut, his first goal in the DFB Cup against Bremen and his comeback in the Ghanaian national team in the space of just a few weeks. "Coming on against Schalke gave me a massive boost because I felt as though the manager trusts me and feels as though he can count on me. When I was on the bench in Bremen I was itching to get on and help the team. Once I got my first touch I settled down," said Tagoe, a natural when it comes to goalscoring, as he has proven with every other club he's played for in the past. Football is his passion, and he applies that passion to his work with unwavering commitment: "When I join a club, I make sure I give everything for the team to help make them successful. We have a responsibility to our fans to play good football and make sure they go home satisfied."

Tagoe's passion for the sport began when he was a young boy in Ghana, where he spent every free minute kicking a ball around with his friends. "I can still remember it well. Everyone wanted to have me on their team," smiled Tagoe. "I realised I wasn't too bad and tried to join a small club." Tagoe quickly found his calling as a striker as the ball seemed to find the back of the net every time he touched it. The young forward quickly made a name for himself and was soon called into the Ghanaian U-17 national team where he was top scorer and the standout player in a number of African youth tournaments. That gave him a springboard into the Ghanaian first division with Accra Hearts of Oak. A call-up to the U-23 squad followed, before Tagoe became the youngest-ever player to play for Ghana at the 2006 African Nations Cup, where he notched an impressive five goals in ten appearances. Bundesliga side Mainz 05 soon came knocking for his signature, but the young Tagoe turned them down to move to the UAE and then Saudi Arabia. His dream European move finally materialised in 2009 when Hoffenheim came in for him after being impressed by his superb strike rate of 59 goals in 84 matches. His goalscoring feats did not go unnoticed by Ghana's senior national coach Milovan Rajevac either, and Tagoe is now desperate to be a part of the World Cup squad which travels to South Africa: "The coach told me that I will definitely be a part of the squad if I can remain free of injury. The first World Cup on African soil is going to be a momentous occasion and it's going to bring a lot of joy to the African people. It was a good decision by FIFA. Hopefully football will become even more popular in Africa as a result," said Tagoe.

Prince Tagoe is back doing what he does best. Over the past few weeks has received more and more playing time under Ralf Rangnick and is working hard on returning to full fitness. Indeed, Hoffenheim could do with a fighter at the moment to give the team and the fans a much needed boost. "I'm convinced that we can make the fans cheer again soon," added Prince with a confident smile.

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