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“He was a great man”- QPR defender Leon Balogun hails former Super Eagles coach

The former Brighton defender was called up by the Super Eagles coach in 2014, and since then, he has played 46 times for the Super Eagles side internationally

Queens Park Rangers, and Super Eagles defender Leon Aderemi Balogun hailed former Super Eagles coach, Steven Keshi.

The late Nigerian coach was lauded and described as a great man during his time on earth by the German-Nigerian defender.

At the time of his retirement, the former Anderlecht player was Nigeria’s second-most capped player with 60 appearances for his country as a defender.

He won the Africa Cup of Nations as both a player and a coach while managing the Super Eagles of Nigeria, making him one of only two people—the other being Mahmoud El-Gohary of Egypt—to accomplish this feat.

During his time, the former Glasgow Rangers player, Balogun, made his debut for the Super Eagles team, where he featured for 19 minutes in March 2014.

Unfortunately, owing to a metatarsal fracture that prevented him from participating in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, Balogun was unable to continue playing until Keshi’s contract with the Nigeria Football Federation expired.

The 34-year-old player has saluted the manager, who is currently the last man to have lifted the Africa Cup of Nations trophy for Nigeria, upon receiving his call-up to the national team.

Balogun responded to a documentary uploaded by Calvin ‘Emeka Onwuka by saying, “He was a great man. About time we told stories about our own. Well done Uncle C”

The Super Hoops defender has played 46 times for Nigeria since his debut in 2014. He represented his country at the 2018 World Cup and registered a goal for Nigeria in the tournament.

Ayomide Oguntimehin

Ayomide Oguntimehin is a CAF-accredited sports journalist and an Editor at Soccernet.ng, with a proven track record in conducting interviews with Super Eagles stars such as William Troost-Ekong, Taiwo Awoniyi, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Ademola Lookman, and many others. He has also made a significant impact in breaking transfer news stories. Grounded in video editing, video journalism, social media management, and content strategy, Ayomide brings a wealth of expertise to his work. With a Bachelor's degree in English Language from Adeyemi College of Education and a Master's Degree in School Library and Media Technology from the University of Ibadan, Ayomide is well-prepared to excel in the field.

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