By Akinwande Soji-Ojo
A former Nigerian footballer, Akeem Omolade, has been found dead in Palermo, Italy.
FC Torino, the former club of the 39-year-old Nigerian, announced his death via their website, on Monday.
Emergency services found him unresponsive in a Peugeot. Initial examination showed no obvious external injuries.
Daily Mail quoted Omolade’s family as saying the Kaduna-born player had complained of leg pains some days before his demise.
In a statement, FC Toronto, said: “The President Urbano Cairo and the whole Torino football club share heartily in the pain of the Omolade family for the death of Akeem Omolade, a former football player from Granada.
“Arriving at Toro from Treviso, Omolade played first in the Primavera squad and later in the First Team, making his Serie A debut with the grenade on February 2, 2003, in the match against Inter Milan.
“The entire Torino family sends its deepest sympathies to his loved ones, his parents and his many friends.”
The Kaduna-born footballer moved to Italy at 17. He joined Treviso, where he made his professional debut in Serie B.
After just one season, Omolade would sign up with Torino in the Serie A. The Nigerian represented the Maroons in Serie A, Italy’s top flight, between 2001-2003, making five appearances in total.
He also represented 11 other clubs in the country, including Treviso, Novara, and Reggiana before his retirement in 2017.
