Thompson Usiyen is Dead

Former Green Eagles mercurial forward, Thompson Usiyen is dead.

He was reported to have died on Tuesday morning from colon cancer

aged 65 years.

A source from the Nigerian community in California confirmed the ex international died at his Lamest, Redonda Beach home in California, United States.

Usiyen, a former Midwest Academical intermediate wonder striker, shot into the limelight when he helped his regional team defeat their Western region counterparts in Lagos in 1973.

The former Hussey College Warri star made his international debut for Nigeria as an Asaba Textile Mills FC player in 1976. It was a scoring debut as he grabbed the equalizer against Kenya in that 1-1 draw.

While Nigeria was preparing for the 1976 Africa Cup of Nations in Ethiopia, Usiyen scored in Nigeria’s 2-1 defeat of Zambia in a friendly game.

With Nigeria depending on his scoring exploits, it was a rude shock when he abandoned the team for academic pursuit in the United States .

He made his final outing for Nigeria in the first leg of the final qualifiers for Spain ‘82 World Cup when Nigeria lost 2-0 to Algeria in Lagos.