Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday led tributes to former Super Eagles player and coach Stephen Keshi, who died of a suspected heart attack at the age of 54. "Nigeria today lost a great sportsman, football player, coach and citizen," Buhari wrote on his official Twitter account, adding: "Nigerian football will not be the same without Stephen Keshi.
"He gave his country his all. May his soul rest in peace." Keshi was one of African football's most recognisable figures, who was one of only two men with Egypt's Mahmoud El-Gohary to lift the Africa Cup of Nations as both a player and coach. As a coach, he was the first African to get two countries to the World Cup finals - Togo in 2006 and Nigeria in 2014 - and the first manager from the continent to reach the last 16.
He also blazed a trail for African footballers to play in European leagues, leaving Nigeria in the mid-1980s for Belgium and a stint in the French leagues. Keshi's brother, Emmanuel Ado, said the man dubbed "Big Boss" by fans and players for his leadership, died in Benin City, southern Nigeria, where he has a house and his wife, Kate, is buried. As a player, Keshi sparked an exodus of Nigerian footballers to Belgium in the mid-1980s, joining Anderlecht before moving to French side Strasbourg and clubs in Malaysia and the United States.