Thunder Balogun died day I was to meet him – Odegbami

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Former Green Eagles captain, Segun Odegbami, has disclosed that legendary Nigerian footballer, Teslim “Thunder” Balogun, died on the very day both men were scheduled to meet for the first time, Sa.

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Odegbami revealed that he never had the opportunity to meet Balogun throughout his life, despite both being footballing legends who once crossed paths in Ibadan.

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“It’s an unfortunate thing that I never met Thunder Balogun in my life,” Odegbami said in .

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“Yes. We were together in Ibadan. He was there. He was a coach.”

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According to Odegbami, he was billed to finally meet Balogun on the day his club, Housing Corporation, were scheduled to play Mighty Jets of Jos at the Liberty Stadium, with Balogun expected at the venue.

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“On the day I was to meet him, I was in Housing Corporation and we were to play Mighty Jets of Jos, Liberty Stadium. He was supposed to come. We were waiting for him to come and he died. That was the day he died,” he said.

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Odegbami recalled that officials announced shortly before kickoff that Balogun had been found dead in bed after attempts to wake him for the match.

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“Shortly before the match, they came and announced to us that they woke him up to come for the match and he was dead in bed,” he said.

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He added that organisers initially considered calling off the fixture but eventually allowed it to proceed in Balogun’s honour.

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“And they were going to call off the match, but they did not. They said in his honour and so on and so forth. And I would have met him on that day. He died on the day I was to meet him,” Odegbami said.

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Balogun, nicknamed “Thunder” for his powerful shot, is widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s greatest footballers.

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He became the first Nigerian to play professional football in England, turning out for Peterborough United and Queens Park Rangers, and later became the first African to qualify as a professional coach, a role in which he handled the Nigerian team at the 1968 Olympics.

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Balogun died in his sleep in Ibadan on July 30, 1972, at age 41. The Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere, Lagos, is named in his honour.

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