Tragedy in the field: Michael Eneramo dead at age 40

Tragedy in soccer: Michael Eneramo, 40, a former striker for the Nigerian national team, died Friday after suddenly collapsing to the ground during a friendly match.

According to reports from the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), Eneramo reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest just five minutes into the second half of an amateur match played Friday morning in Ungwan Yelwa, in the town of Kaduna. The striker had regularly played the entire first half. “This news is devastating. Right now words fail me,” said Mohammed Sanusi, secretary general of the NFF.

Eneramo had collected 10 appearances with the Nigerian national team. He had previously turned down the chance to play for Tunisia, a country where he had enjoyed a prolific club career and where he had also considered citizenship. Nicknamed “The Tank” by fans of Espérance Sportive de Tunis, Eneramo had helped the Tunisian team win several trophies, twice winning the Tunisian league’s top scorer award.

In his career he had also played in Turkey, wearing the jerseys of Sivasspor, Beşiktaş and Başakşehir, among others. He made his debut with Nigeria in February 2009 in a friendly against Jamaica. Three months later, in another friendly match against Ireland, he had scored his first (and only) goal in the national team.