PHOTO CREDIT: Teslim “Thunder” Balogun / File Photo – Punch Newspapers / Teslim Balogun Stadium Archives
Thunder Balogun Died On The Day I Was To Meet Him — Segun Odegbami
Former Green Eagles captain, Segun Odegbami, has revealed that he never got to meet Nigerian football legend Teslim “Thunder” Balogun in his lifetime, as Balogun died on the very day they were scheduled to meet for the first time.

Odegbami said both men were in Ibadan at the same time, with Balogun working as a coach, but their paths never crossed.

“It’s an unfortunate thing that I never met Thunder Balogun in my life. Yes. We were together in Ibadan. He was there. He was a coach,” Odegbami said.

He explained that the much-anticipated meeting was supposed to happen at the Liberty Stadium in Ibadan, on the day his club, Housing Corporation, were billed to play Mighty Jets of Jos.

According to him, Balogun was expected at the stadium for the game but never showed up.

“On the day I was to meet him, I was in Housing Corporation and we were to play Mighty Jets of Jos, Liberty Stadium. He was supposed to come. We were waiting for him to come and he died. That was the day he died,” he said.

Odegbami recalled that shortly before kickoff, officials announced that Balogun had been found dead in his bed when attempts were made to wake him up for the match.

“Shortly before the match, they came and announced to us that they woke him up to come for the match and he was dead in bed,” he added.

He said organizers initially considered calling off the fixture but later decided to play the match in honour of the late icon.

Teslim Balogun, famously nicknamed “Thunder” for his powerful shots, remains one of Nigeria’s greatest footballers. He was the first Nigerian to play professional football in England, featuring for Peterborough United and Queens Park Rangers, and the first African to qualify as a professional coach. He coached Nigeria at the 1968 Olympics.

He died in his sleep in Ibadan on July 30, 1972, at the age of 41. The Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere, Lagos, was named in his honour.
SOURCE: Punch Newspapers