Gift Atulewa: Grief as former Nigeria U-20 star dies after battle with illness

• Former Nigeria U-20 international Gift Atulewa has sadly passed away, according to recent reports
• The former Flying Eagles star was part of the 2005 U-20 team that represented Nigeria at the FIFA World Cup
• The 38-year-old reportedly lost his life after a prolonged battle with hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) disease

Former Nigeria U-20 international, Gift Atulewa, sadly passed away in the early hours of Tuesday, November 14.

The former Nigeria youth midfielder had reportedly been battling health issues before his demise.

Gift Atulewa pictured during the 2005 U20 FIFA World Cup. Image: @francisachi.
Source: Twitter

According to BSN Sports, the 38-year-old endured a prolonged struggle with hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) disease before ultimately succumbing to the illness.

Atulewa played for several clubs within Nigeria's football league pyramid, including Bayelsa United and Warri Wolves.

Tragically, his passing makes him the third player from Nigeria's 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup squad in the Netherlands to have passed away, following Olufemi Adebayo and former captain, Isaacs Promise.

Former Super Eagles goalkeeper dies

Earlier, Legit.ng reported the sad passing of former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Peter Fregene, following a prolonged illness.

The 77-year-old, whose health was previously described as critical by former teammate Segun Odegbami, represented Nigeria from 1968 to 1971 and made a remarkable return to the national team for the 1982 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

In a statement shared by Punch Sport, Odegbami offered more details about Fregene’s final moments:

“A few minutes ago, Peter ‘Apo’ Fregene, OLY, former goalkeeper for Nigeria’s Green Eagles, who had been on life support for the past week, passed on to meet his creator. He passed away peacefully in the presence of two of his children and his devoted wife, Tina,” Odegbami wrote.

Brighton star faints on airplane

In a separate report, Legit.ng detailed a frightening experience shared by Brighton attacker, Julio Enciso, who detailed he nearly lost his life on a recent flight.

The 20-year-old was en route to join his Paraguay teammates for their international matches when he fainted mid-flight and needed help from a fellow passenger to regain consciousness.

Enciso recalled that he was given a Coke and a Japanese soup, which helped revive him during the flight to Paraguay. Despite the ordeal, the versatile forward went on to play a crucial role in Paraguay's FIFA World Cup qualification draw against Ecuador.

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Source: Legit.ng