{"id":120368,"date":"2025-07-04T09:32:40","date_gmt":"2025-07-04T08:32:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=120368"},"modified":"2025-07-04T09:32:40","modified_gmt":"2025-07-04T08:32:40","slug":"super-eagles-legend-peter-rufai-dies-at-61","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/super-eagles-legend-peter-rufai-dies-at-61\/","title":{"rendered":"Super Eagles Legend Peter Rufai Dies at 61"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">By Oscar Okhifo<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nigerian football has been plunged into mourning following the death of legendary Super Eagles goalkeeper, Peter Rufai, fondly known as \u201cDodo Mayana.\u201d He died on Thursday after a brief illness at the age of 61.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) confirmed his passing in a tribute, describing Rufai as \u201ca giant of Nigerian football\u201d and \u201cone of the country\u2019s most iconic players.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cForever in our hearts, Dodo Mayana,\u201d the NFF wrote in a post on social media. \u201cWe mourn the passing of legendary Super Eagles goalkeeper, Peter Rufai. Your legacy lives on between the sticks and beyond. Rest well.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rufai was a pillar of Nigeria\u2019s golden football generation and played a pivotal role in the country\u2019s triumph at the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He also served as Nigeria\u2019s first-choice goalkeeper at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cups.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Renowned for his agility, towering structure, composure, and leadership, Rufai earned over 60 international caps during an illustrious career that spanned more than a decade.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At club level, he enjoyed a successful professional career across Europe, playing in Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. He is particularly remembered for his stints at Deportivo La Coru\u00f1a and H\u00e9rcules CF in Spain\u2019s top flight.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rufai\u2019s passing marks the end of an era for Nigerian football. Tributes have continued to pour in from across the football world, as fans and former teammates remember a man whose brilliance between the posts inspired a generation.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pointblanknews.com Sports Desk joins millions of Nigerians\u00a0 in mourning the loss of this football great citizen. We pray for the peaceful repose of his soul and extend our heartfelt condolences to his family.<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Oscar Okhifo Nigerian football has been plunged into mourning following the death of legendary Super Eagles goalkeeper, Peter Rufai, fondly known as \u201cDodo Mayana.\u201d He died on Thursday after&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":120369,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-120368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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