FORMER Super Eagles of Nigeria striker Michael Eneramo has died at the age of 40, the Nigeria Football Federation has announced.
Eneramo collapsed and died on the pitch in Ungwan Yelwa, Kaduna today during a local friendly game in which he had played the entire first half.
Early reports indicated that Eneramo, born in Kaduna in November 1985, appeared to have suffered cardiac arrest five minutes into the second half of the said friendly match.
“This is devastating. I am short of words at this moment. I can only pray that God will grant him eternal rest and also grant his loved ones and the Nigeria football family the fortitude to bear the loss,” NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, said on the telephone from Cairo, Egypt.
Eneramo had successful club stints in Tunisia and Turkey, and featured 10 times for the Super Eagles after rejecting overtures from Tunisia to take that country’s nationality and play for the Carthage Eagles.
His debut for Nigeria was against Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz in a friendly match in London on February 11, 2009, which ended goalless.
In his second game, also a friendly, he scored his first goal for the Super Eagles against the Republic of Ireland in a 1-1 draw in London on May 29, 2009.
Ene also played against France in Nigeria’s 1-0 win in Saint Etienne four days later.
Five days later, he featured in Nigeria’s 3-0 win over Kenya in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Abuja, and also played the home-and-away ties with Tunisia (0-0 in Tunis and 2-2 in Abuja) in the same race.
It was in the home game against Tunisia in Abuja on September 6, 2009 that Eneramo scored his most memorable goal for the Super Eagles.
Nicknamed Al Dababa (The Tank) by fans of Tunisian and African giants Esperance, Eneramo was a cult hero in the North African country.
He also played for top clubs Besiktas, Sivasspor and Istanbul Basaksehir in Turkey.
