Former goalkeeper for Nigerian national team, the Green Eagles, Mr. Peter Fregene, also known as The Flying Cat, has passed away. He died on Sunday night at the age of 77 after a long battle with illness.
His passing was announced on social media by his close friend and fellow ex-international, Segun Odegbami, in a heartfelt post on Facebook on Sunday night, October 13.
Fregene, who had been on life support for the past week, passed away in the presence of his wife, Tina, and two of his children.
Odegbami expressed his gratitude to those who supported Fregene throughout his illness, saying, “A few minutes ago, Peter ‘Apo’ Fregene, OLY, former goalkeeper for Nigeria’s Green Eagles, passed on to meet his Creator.”
In his tribute, Odegbami extended thanks on behalf of Fregene’s family, friends, and the Nigerian football community. “On behalf of all generations of Nigerian footballers, Olympians, sports persons… I say a big ‘thank you’,” he wrote.
Fregene, who was Nigeria’s first choice goalkeeper between 1968 and 1971, represented the country at the 1968 Olympics and also at the 1982 AFCON.
“I think Apo has finally gone to rest,” veteran journalist, Pa Segun Adenuga told NationSport. “Unarguably, he was one of Nigeria’s greatest goalkeeper in history and he was in goal for almost two decades for the national team.
“ He was in goal when we played 3-3 draw with Brazil at the 1968 Olympics and he was rated as the fourth best goalkeeper in the whole world and was described as the man with the magic hand.”