RIP "PELE" SEGUN ADELEKE former SE Striker

[Cmoke]

https://www.completesports.com/former-n ... in-the-us/

FORMER Green Eagles (now Super Eagles) player Segun Adeleke is dead. He died from cancer in Alabama, Florida, United States on Thursday, 5 August,2021.

Although not as popular as his namesake, Segun Odegbami, Adeleke was for a brief period Odegbami’s contemporary in the Green Eagles of the mid-70s.

[Cmoke]

RIP “PELE”SEGUN ADELEKE by
Cmoke

Omg!
We grew up together!
He came to my neighborhood to attend Gaskiya College, Amukoko just next to Ajegunle, Apapa, Lagos, Nigeria.

Gaskiya had a huge playing ground and several fields to play soccer. Gaskiya College or Gaskiya soccer field later produced players who played for the Nigerian national team - the great Super Eagles of Nigeria. These players include Samson Siasia, Tarila Okorowanta, Godwin Iwelumo and of course Segun Adeleke.
Right from his early days at Gaskiya, it was clear that he was a talented, passionate and hardworking player. He had the strength and tenacity of Daniel Amokachi and the sublime skills of Kanu Nwankwo.

Everyone seemed to know we were witnessing a star. At Gaskiya with several games occurring simultaneously, his game was always packed with the most crowd!
He was nicknamed “Pele” after the great Brazilian soccer star for obvious reasons.

The rest of Lagos State soon noticed him when Gaskiya college played at the Lagos State Principals Cup competition. His outstanding plays resulted in Gaskiya shocking several big name teams and advancing well in the competition. He was about 14 years old then.

NEPA football club, one of the top two teams at then Lagos Amateur Football Association (LAFA) league (the other team was Stationery Stores, or Stores) immediately grabbed him.

At about 16 and still a student at
Gaskiya he was already a star player for NEPA.

In those days amongst the Lagos soccer fanatics, the rivalry between NEPA and stores was more fanatic than the current rivalry between La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid!

He played his football with unparalleled passion and emotion. He hated losing, especially to Stores.
I remember him crying uncontrollably and held standing by NEPA supporters, minutes after NEPA lost a cup finals to Stores. The Stores supporters were wickedly overjoyed by Pele’s anguish. You could hear their talking drummer drumming and Stores supporters translating “Adeleke so ori kodo, o un sukun”. These translates from Yoruba to English as “Adeleke bows down his head, crying!”
The more the Stores talking drummer beats, the more intense he cried. They were tormenting a teenager.

But my last memory of Segun Adeleke was his triumph .
Nigeria’s Super Eagles were in crisis having lost their star striker Thomson Usiyen who unexpectedly departed to the United States. There was also the then upcoming Nigeria and Ghana sports festival.
The Super Eagles needed a striker fast. They tried several strikers including Adeleke.
He was fielded at the last friendly match meant to select the team. He quickly scored two goals. He was a goal poacher. Put him near his opponent’s penalty box, he will likely score.

My last conversation with him occurred after the friendly match. I waited hours for the players and coaches to emerge from their closed door meeting, then I walked up to him and asked “Pele, how far, you make the team?” He replied “won kin je atare e!” I believed he meant in Yoruba that his selection was inevitable, and nobody could have stopped him! Those were his last words to me. I left Nigeria shortly afterwards.
It was indeed inevitable that he fulfilled his dreams of playing for Nigeria !

May his soul rest in perfect peace!

Cmoke

[Enugu II]

May His Soul Rest in Peace. I do remember him as Nigeria's 10 in those days but he played for quite a brief period before leaving for the USA.

[Dammy]

He was in 1978 AFCON squad in Ghana.

[Enugu II]

He was in 1978 AFCON squad in Ghana.

Yes. I am surprised reviewing his stat line for Nigeria that he played only a few games. However, he left so early in his career. Here is his stateliness for Nigeria:

Segun Adeleke
3 International appearances
Debut: Feb 5, 1978 v Gabon (Came in as sub for Emmanuel Obasuyi)
Other games: v Burkina Faso (March 5, 1978) and v Zambia (March 10, 1978). He started in both AFCON games but was substituted in each.

[YemiBrazil]

RIP!

[Dammy]

He was in 1978 AFCON squad in Ghana.

Yes. I am surprised reviewing his stat line for Nigeria that he played only a few games. However, he left so early in his career. Here is his stateliness for Nigeria:

Segun Adeleke
3 International appearances
Debut: Feb 5, 1978 v Gabon (Came in as sub for Emmanuel Obasuyi)
Other games: v Burkina Faso (March 5, 1978) and v Zambia (March 10, 1978). He started in both AFCON games but was substituted in each.

I believe that march on the 10th 0f March 1978 was the AFCON SF against Uganda and not Zambia. He scored the equaliser for Nigeria before we lost 2-1 to the Cranes.

[Cmoke]

I believe he had more caps for Naija.

Cmoke

[Enugu II]

He was in 1978 AFCON squad in Ghana.

Yes. I am surprised reviewing his stat line for Nigeria that he played only a few games. However, he left so early in his career. Here is his stateliness for Nigeria:

Segun Adeleke
3 International appearances
Debut: Feb 5, 1978 v Gabon (Came in as sub for Emmanuel Obasuyi)
Other games: v Burkina Faso (March 5, 1978) and v Zambia (March 10, 1978). He started in both AFCON games but was substituted in each.

I believe that march on the 10th 0f March 1978 was the AFCON SF against Uganda and not Zambia. He scored the equaliser for Nigeria before we lost 2-1 to the Cranes.

Dammy,

Adeleke did not play in the semi-final game which ended in a 1-2 loss against Uganda. That game was on March 14 in Kumasi. Nigeria's goal came in the 66th minute from Eyo Martins and not Adeleke. Eyo came into that game as a sub for Rufus Ejele. Here's the squad on that day:

Emma Okala -- Annas Ahmed, Chris Chukwu (cpt), Godwin Odiye, Felix Owolabi -- Muda Lawal, Aloy Atuegbu, Rufus Ejele (46th Eyo Martins) -- Chris Ogu, Segun Odegbami, Adokiye Amaesiemaka (81st Baba Ottu Mohammed).

Goal: 66t E. Martins. HT: 0-1.

[Enugu II]

I believe he had more caps for Naija.

Cmoke

Cmoke,

Frankly, I was surprised. I thought he played in more games but that is not the case. Some of those games were exhibition games against clubs which do not count as internationals. As for internationals, he had just three surpringly.

[Abbey]

I have known Segun since the Principal cup era and even played some 'sets' with him as teenagers back in the days. A very warm and friendly individual that exudes emblematic coolness that may sometimes be mistaken as ego. Segun was downright a good man and even a better person. He and Victor Ekanem (ACB) both lived in Memphis, Tennessee. Victor passed in 2017 now Segun. May their souls live in peace.

[Purity]

I played football once at the Gaskiya college.. It is in AJ!

https://www.completesports.com/former-n ... in-the-us/

FORMER Green Eagles (now Super Eagles) player Segun Adeleke is dead. He died from cancer in Alabama, Florida, United States on Thursday, 5 August,2021.

Although not as popular as his namesake, Segun Odegbami, Adeleke was for a brief period Odegbami’s contemporary in the Green Eagles of the mid-70s.

[Dammy]

He was in 1978 AFCON squad in Ghana.

Yes. I am surprised reviewing his stat line for Nigeria that he played only a few games. However, he left so early in his career. Here is his stateliness for Nigeria:

Segun Adeleke
3 International appearances
Debut: Feb 5, 1978 v Gabon (Came in as sub for Emmanuel Obasuyi)
Other games: v Burkina Faso (March 5, 1978) and v Zambia (March 10, 1978). He started in both AFCON games but was substituted in each.

I believe that march on the 10th 0f March 1978 was the AFCON SF against Uganda and not Zambia. He scored the equaliser for Nigeria before we lost 2-1 to the Cranes.

Dammy,

Adeleke did not play in the semi-final game which ended in a 1-2 loss against Uganda. That game was on March 14 in Kumasi. Nigeria's goal came in the 66th minute from Eyo Martins and not Adeleke. Eyo came into that game as a sub for Rufus Ejele. Here's the squad on that day:

Emma Okala -- Annas Ahmed, Chris Chukwu (cpt), Godwin Odiye, Felix Owolabi -- Muda Lawal, Aloy Atuegbu, Rufus Ejele (46th Eyo Martins) -- Chris Ogu, Segun Odegbami, Adokiye Amaesiemaka (81st Baba Ottu Mohammed).

Goal: 66t E. Martins. HT: 0-1.

Thanks for the clarification.

[Cmoke]

Yes bro,

Looks like you really knew him.

Cmoke

I have known Segun since the Principal cup era and even played some 'sets' with him as teenagers back in the days. A very warm and friendly individual that exudes emblematic coolness that may sometimes be mistaken as ego. Segun was downright a good man and even a better person. He and Victor Ekanem (ACB) both lived in Memphis, Tennessee. Victor passed in 2017 now Segun. May their souls live in peace.