President Bola Tinubu has said that former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Peter Rufai wrote his name in gold in the sporting annals of Nigeria and the African continent.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Thursday, the President paid tribute to the football icon, fondly remembered by fans as “Dodomayana”.
The football legend passed away on Thursday at the age of 61.
Tinubu noted that Peter Rufai would be remembered as one of those patriotic sportsmen who wrote their names in gold in the sporting annals of Nigeria and the African continent.
The statement read, “I recall with fond memories the heroic contributions of Peter Rufai in the historic victory of the Super Eagles at the 1994 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia as the first-choice goalkeeper, followed up with Nigeria’s equally epoch-making, first appearance at the FIFA World Cup competition, dubbed USA ’94.
“Rufai was also a strong member of the team at the subsequent edition of the competition in France in 1998.
“Having started his career with Stationery Stores of Lagos in 1980, Rufai was one of the earliest footballers in Nigeria to go professional, playing in many European countries including Belgium, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands, bringing honour to the nation and opening a new window of opportunities for young footballers in Nigeria,” President Tinubu says.
“After he retired from active football, Peter, a Prince of the Royal House in Idimu, Lagos, set up the Staruf Football Academy, where he continued to inspire, mentor and nurture young footballers”.
President Tinubu prayed for comfort for all who mourn Rufai’s loss and for the repose of Rufai’s soul.
Until his passing, he was also known for his passion for education, having enrolled at the National Institute for Sports in Lagos to acquire formal coaching credentials.
His death announced the same day as the tragic passing of Liverpool star Diogo Jota in a car crash, marked a dark moment in the global football fraternity.
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