Meet the Ghanaian tribal prince, who, had fate decided otherwise, might have played for the Black Stars against the Socceroos at the World Cup in 2010.
Instead, 28 year-old Daniel Tagoe will face Australia - not in Rustenburg - but in Bishkek on June 16th, where he will be wearing the jersey of Kyrgyzstan.
Tagoe grew up in Accra, idolising the likes of Abedi Pele, Tony Yeboah and Nii Lamptey (his middle name is even Nii), and dreaming of playing for his country, before an agent changed his destiny.
“I played academy football as a junior - at under 12’s for a club called Eleven Stoppers, then Dansoman United. But once I started at senior level with Berekum Arsenal, my agent had an offer from a club in Russia (KamAz), so I went.†says Tagoe, speaking from Dubai where Kyrgyzstan prepared for their opening World Cup qualifier with Bangladesh.
That was in 2005, and the youngster from West Africa took time to settle.
“The weather was hard - it is too cold in Russia. But I was not alone. I played with David Tetteh in the Ghanaian 2nd Division, and we went together to Russia. We are from the same city in Ghana - he is like a brother to me.†says Tagoe.
Although Tetteh initially played for Dinamo Moscow, and Tagoe was in Tatarstan, the pair were soon reunited as Tetteh joined KamAz. By 2007, both were in Kyrgyzstan, playing for the biggest club in the country, Dordoi Bishkek.
Since then, Tagoe has won six championships and 4 national cups, making the former Soviet republic his home - although the two Ghanaians are still regarded as something of a novelty.
“There are not too many black guys in Kyrgyzstan, so they cannot see the difference between us. Sometimes they call me David, and I have to say - no, I am Daniel. But David is the most popular player in Kyrgyzstan, everybody loves him.†says Tagoe.
So popular, that Tetteh, a prolific goalscorer for Dordoi, became naturalised in 2008, making him eligible for the national team after a five-year wait. Tagoe followed suit a year later, and made his senior team bow last year.
“I decided I wanted to help my country - it wasn’t a difficult decision. My family know this is my work, so they support me†he says.
Tagoe who can play either in the backline, or as a defensive midfielder, is known as having one of the hardest shots in Kyrgz football, but says he is a ball-playing defender, in the style of his ultimate hero, Sammy Kuffour, the Ghanaian who won the Champions League with Bayern Munich in 2001.
The World Cup qualifier is probably the biggest game in Kyrgyzstan’s short history. Since the break up of the USSR, the national team has repeatedly been knocked out in the early stages of qualifying - and Tagoe knows they are up against it when the Asian champions come to town.
“They are a good side. They are not just ordinary footballers. I remember watching Tim Cahill at the 2010 World Cup, I know he is good in the air with crosses. I may have to mark him, and I will do my best, to defend my country.†says Tagoe.
Kyrgyzstan sits at a lowly 177 in the FIFA rankings - they have never qualified for the World Cup, nor the Asian Cup. But aside of Tagoe and Tetteh, they do have several overseas-based players capable of causing Australia problems.
Right-winger Edgar Bernhardt plays top flight football in Poland with Widzew Lodz, while on the left, Anton Zemlianukhin is with Radnicki Nis in Serbia. Three other attack-minded players - Sergej Evljuskin, Viktor Maier and Vitalij Lyuks - are all based in Germany.
Evljuskin’s story is the most intriguing. As a junior he won the prestigious Fritz Walter Medal twice (Mario Gotze is the only other player to achieve the feat), and starred alongside Mesut Ozil and Jerome Boateng in the German underage-level teams.
But now, aged 27, he has lost his way, and finds himself at Hessen Kassel in Germany’s third tier. Along with Maier and Lyuks, he is a recent addition to Kyrgyzstan’s ranks, as Russian coach Aleksandr Krestinin sifts for gems among the Kyrgz diaspora.
He needs them. Kyrgyzstan’s last crack at the World Cup ended in a 7-0 aggregate loss to neighbouring Uzbekistan. Now, with the lower ranked nations admitted to the group stages from the start, the nation that is ranked even below Guam (beaten 9-0 by Australia in 2012), must find a way to be competitive in AFC qualifying.
But Tagoe insists they have improved enough to offer the Socceroos a real challenge.
“Australia is a big country, famous for football - they went to the World Cup and they are better than us. But we are growing. We are playing at home in Bishkek, so we have to play with our hearts. We cannot be afraid. Every player is determined, and I think we will draw with Australia. We will not lose.†he says.