SPORTS minister Sunday Dare is sad at the the death of former Nigeria international striker Thompson Usiyan.
Usiyen passed away after terminal illness on Tuesday at his base in California, United States of America at the age of 65.
“The minister is commiserating with the late Green Eagles striker’s family and praying to God to give the grieving wife he left behind the comfort and fortitude to bear their loss,” a statement signed by Toyin Ibitoye, Dare’s Special Assistant on Multimedia, noted.
The late Usiyan was a key figure in the Green Eagles (now Super Eagles), the Nigerian national senior men’s football team, between 1976 and 1981.
Usiyan played most of his professional career in the United States of America where he holds many scoring records in the outdoor and indoor leagues.
He scored on his national team debut in 1976 in a friendly match against Kenya and played for Nigeria at the 1976 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Ethiopia.
He also won a silver medal with the Nigerian squad at the 1978 All-Africa Games in Algiers.
Usiyan had a degree in business in the United States of America and was a tax consultant based in San Diego, California until his death.
