One of the most revered goalkeepers, Peter Rufai, fondly known as “Dodo Mayana,” of Africa and Nigerian national team passed away on Thursday, July 3, age 61, after a long illness-affected period.
He was an ever-present figure in the Super Eagles goal for two FIFA World Cup tournaments, in 1994 and 1998, during which Nigeria confirmed its growing power as a soccer nation. In 1994, he was also a key player in the Nigeria National Team when they became the first African country to have won the tournament in total.
Rufai, making his first steps in football for Stationery Stores in 1980, was a representative of the team in Benin Republic before moving to other countries – Belgium, Holland, Portugal, and Spain.
Where he greatly distinguished himself was mostly in the second ever UEFA Cup, which was founded for S.C. Farense when he was a member of the club. Rufai has also played for Hércules CF and Deportivo La Coruña in Spain and lastly at Gil Vicente in Portugal to end his career there.
Attacking from the post, Rufai scored a penalty in a 6-0 win over Ethiopia that was a 1993 AFCON qualifier-in a game that stands out as the defender’s international career.
His interest in grassroots football in Nigeria resulted in Staruf FC, founded by Rufai, the only team the former goalkeeper gave all his heart and soul to.
Even though he is gone, the memory of him as a charismatic figure capable of doing extraordinary things and the status of being a national hero is going to linger for a long time to come in the hearts and annals of Nigerian soccer.
