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Nairaland Forum / Entertainment / Sports / Samuel Okwaraji (4078 Views)
25 Years After Samuel Okwaraji Slumped And Died On The Field / Samuel Okwaraji Died 24 Years Ago / Samuel Okwaraji - Things You Never Knew About Him (2) (3) (4)
Samuel Okwaraji by Mamajama(m): 6:53pm On Apr 18, 2007 |
Samuel Sochukwuma Okwaraji (1964 - August 12, 1989) was a professional footballer who played internationally for Nigeria. Born in Orlu, Okwaraji had a career in Europe which included playing for Dinamo Zagreb, VfB Stuttgart and SSV Ulm. Okwaraji collapsed ten minutes from the end of a World Cup Qualifier against Angola in Lagos and died from congestive heart failure. An autopsy showed that the 24-year-old had an enlarged heart and high blood pressure. The sudden death was similar to that of Marc-Vivien Foé 14 years later. what do you know about samuel? |
Re: Samuel Okwaraji by Ikomi(m): 12:02pm On Jun 28, 2007 |
Samuel Okwaraji was a humble, patriotic, nigerian footballer. I followed football, with all my heart in those days, I remember him in Maroc 88, he was a brilliant player, he was one player that told his team mates to always honour the invitation of the nation, and that they should not forget Nigeria made them what they are. I was at the National Stadium Lagos when the match was being played. You have your story a bit wrong though, he did not collapse after the match, it was about some minutes to go to the end of it, we won the match, he was untackled, infact it should be a kick out from the goalkeeper, so all he was doing was waiting for the ball in the opponents half, and suddenly he slumped. They took him out, all for us to hear the next day that Okwraji is gone. God I cried, I hope that brought him back it never did, and we didn't even make the world cup, we were sent out by the same cameroun with a goal in Yauonde that rubbed us of the nations cup the previous year, when a goal was disallowed. Oh football, what a way to pass time. But suddenly without your consent life takes over. |
Re: Samuel Okwaraji by viee(f): 12:09pm On Jun 28, 2007 |
i was quite young then and didnt know much abt fotball but despite the years, the story about this great Nigerian , is still being told. really sad! i pray we never register such ever again |
Re: Samuel Okwaraji by Ikomi(m): 1:06pm On Jun 28, 2007 |
viee: not just you most of Nairaland members are too young to remember this things. Thats why they should be more of listeners rather than spreading there ignorance all over the place. |
Re: Samuel Okwaraji by viee(f): 1:42pm On Jun 28, 2007 |
Ikomi: did i miss sumthing? |
Re: Samuel Okwaraji by dinozzo(m): 3:23pm On Jun 28, 2007 |
I was very young at the time, but remembered the day. I actually watched that match and knew he was the best player around then. My senior bro had to explain to me when he collapsed, it was sad and strange then because that was the first time i was seeing something like that happen. |
Re: Samuel Okwaraji by Ikomi(m): 5:59pm On Jun 28, 2007 |
viee: lol dinozzo: Yeah u and viee are in he same shoes. |
Re: Samuel Okwaraji by bolaoni(m): 3:57am On Jun 29, 2007 |
Na wah o. Mamajama on Sports? This is serious o. Never knew you know anything about Sports. Come to think of it, na Sam Okwaraji you take open your post. You dream about am or wetin? I sure know they don't play soccer in Chicago. Welcome o. May you find this place cooler than Politricks side sha |
Re: Samuel Okwaraji by chuckdee4(m): 10:19am On Jun 29, 2007 |
Sam Okwaraji Was very little when this incident happened but i know it was the first of its kind and a lot of people showed their sympathy, i can still remember seeing him slump down. I just thought it was fatigue but as time revealed. may his soul rest in Peace. I can't say how good a player he was, but he came from an era when the Super Eagles played for the love of the nation, not these egotisic idiots that we have now. Foreign based!!!, wasn't Okwaraji foreign based as well, yet he gave in 101% |
Re: Samuel Okwaraji by dinozzo(m): 11:26am On Jun 29, 2007 |
@IKomi IgnoranceWhats this about. Saying I was very young doesn't mean i did not know what was going on at the time. You talk of maroc 88 i watched that, we had a epic penalty shootout with Algeria in the semi finals but we eventually won 9-8. They got their revenge two years later when they hosted the tournament and thrashed us 5-1 in the group stage and beat us in the finals 1-0, which was very humiliating. Watched every match of senegal 92. We had a sweet victory against senegal in our first game thanks to goals from siasia and keshi I think, yekini bagged two goals in the match against kenya and one against zaire (now Congo DR). We went out in the semi final losing to arch rivals Ghana after taking the lead. We had somewhat of a revenge against Cameron in the third place match when Yekini beat the cameroonian keeper to score the winner taking his goal tally to four and finishing as the top scorer of the tournament, |
Re: Samuel Okwaraji by Ikomi(m): 11:44am On Jun 29, 2007 |
dinozzo: Would u let me off if I say u've salvaged yourself with minute history. |
Re: Samuel Okwaraji by viee(f): 1:29pm On Jun 29, 2007 |
Ikomi: lemme ask again; did i miss something? nobody said only metusela's shld reply here lets cool it plz |
Re: Samuel Okwaraji by tng(f): 4:37pm On Jun 29, 2007 |
nobody said only metusela's shld reply here Abeg no kill me with laugh. @topic Don't know what really happened then but there were rumours flying around then that a white dove was hovering around him before he fell and there were huge posters about it. |
Re: Samuel Okwaraji by doncaster(m): 10:05pm On Jun 29, 2007 |
Too patrotic to the last, come to wonder why nigerian govt has not named anything on his name. |
Re: Samuel Okwaraji by doncaster(m): 10:07pm On Jun 29, 2007 |
Mamajama:Come is this Mamajama, the ex police (t)chief son? no i do not think, please somebody should clear my doubt. |
Re: Samuel Okwaraji by Ikomi(m): 12:10am On Jun 30, 2007 |
viee: Is that the name of a person, place or thing, please explain. You wan talk of Okwaraji wey u no sabi. Cut your coat according to your size has always being a good advice. Read the topic again it says. and boldly written. Mamajama: |
Re: Samuel Okwaraji by Jaguar1(m): 10:52am On Jun 30, 2007 |
I know that he scored the second goal against Kenya in a 3-0 bashing of Kenya at "Maroc '88". The other goals were scored by Rashidi yekini and ndubuisi okosieme. I still remember with nostalgia the semi-final against Algeria and the ensuing penalty shoot out. I remember vividly a little Hausa Almagiri boy crying after the shoot out and asking Peter Rufai to come get a cock from his lives stock the next day, how magnanimous. That was the longest penalty I had watched as at that time. I still remember Bright omakoro, Ademola Adeshina, Yisa Sofoluwe (dean of defence), Austin Eguavoen etal. I can't forget the epic final of "Maro'88". That disallowed headed goal by Henry Nwosu and the foul on Roger Mila that resulted to a penalty, how harsh. I still remember Emmanuel kunde stepping up to take the penalty and Peter Rufai was beaten. I still remember how I felt after the match as against how I felt after the semi-final. Although I was young then and in secondary school, the memories are still fresh in my mind coz that was the first Nations cup I watched on TV. I still remember the match against Angola in Lagos, though I was not in Lagos I watched on TV. |
Re: Samuel Okwaraji by viee(f): 9:00am On Jul 02, 2007 |
Ikomi: this will be my last comment on this; it dosnt matter if i or any other person for that matter was alive then, we can still make meaningful contributions. that is why there is something called history! i dnt quite understand why your so hang up on this issue i believe we all feel concerned about our fallen hero, if someone mis-represented it in any form, thats ok, too bc, there is also something called mistake. a simple correction really wld hv been ok rather than criticism as for what i know about Sam, i know he is a great Nigerian hero |
Re: Samuel Okwaraji by Ikomi(m): 9:09am On Jul 02, 2007 |
viee: If u had gone that way rather than calling one names (Metusela which I dont even understand what it means). There would have been no comments from me either. |
Re: Samuel Okwaraji by 9ja4eva: 5:12am On Jul 07, 2007 |
Oh me no fit remember clearly but from comments he was a great player who always saw pride in wearing d green white green jersey. If we get players of im type now for super eagles.We for don advance well well for football. What a loss. |
Re: Samuel Okwaraji by Mustay(m): 7:55am On Jul 11, 2007 |
chuckdee4: |
Re: Samuel Okwaraji by darnley16(m): 3:59pm On Oct 26, 2014 |
Ikomi:I suppose u don't come online anymore? |
Re: Samuel Okwaraji by Kyase(m): 4:18pm On Oct 26, 2014 |
So no be india kill am. Well I heard that He died because he scored the only goal for nigeria versus india(india 99 v nigeria1) via corner kick. |
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