I’m sorry I didn’t check up on Junior Agogo before his death – Derek Boateng

A former teammate of Junior Agogo, Derek Boateng, has expressed his regret about not checking up on him prior to his death.

A clearly shaken Boateng said that the camaraderie shown by the players in camp when they are called up to the Black Stars squad, more often than not, does not continue when they disperse.

“When we are in camp, [you can see] the love we show. Normally when we move from camp, it’s not the same, which is very wrong.”

He added that this was unfortunate as he believes teammates should consistently check up on each other even when they are not in camp together.

Boateng stated that he had not been in touch with Agogo and was not sure if any of the other players had spoken to him either.

“It’s not good that after camp, we don’t have contact with each other, we don’t check up on each other. I feel so sorry about what happened to Agogo and that I didn’t keep in touch with him.”

“Now he’s gone and I’m saying all these things about him when I should have gone to him. I don’t know if any of the other guys did. Life is too short and we have to come back together and support each other.”

Agogo passed on in England at a hospital on Thursday.

He suffered a stroke in 2015 and underwent rehabilitation two years ago. He died at age 40.

Since his demise, tributes have been pouring in from across the world, including his former clubs, and former teammates.

Fans of English Championship club, Nottingham Forest will also hold a minute’s applause in his memory.

Agogo spent two years of his career at Forest from 2006 to 2008, playing 64 games for the club.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo also offered his condolences to the family of former Black Stars striker.

In a tweet, the President described Junior Agogo as “a fine player” who represented the nation proudly any time he was called up to the national team.