Peter Rufai, one of Africa’s best goalkeepers in history, who has just
passed away recently, had a couple of intriguing stints in Europe.
The former Nigerian international goalkeeper in the 1990s has reportedly
departed following his illness lately. It is another piece of devastating news
in football, as another footballer, Liverpool’s Diogo Jota, has just lost his
life due to a car crash.
Rufai was one of several former Nigerian squad members in the 1994 FIFAWorld Cup who had gone from this world. The other names were Stephen Keshi,
Uche Okafor, and Wilfred Agbonavbare. During his playing years, the goalie who
appeared in two FIFA World Cup editions, 1994 and 1998, had several spells in
Europe. Although he was mainly named understudy, he had some notable moments
worth remembering in his career at the club level, beside his performance with
the Super Eagles in major international tournaments.
Here are the highlights of the shot stopper who had royal blood from the
Idimu tribe. He had stints in Belgium, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Spain
throughout his career in Europe.
Belgium (Lokeren & Beveren)
Peter Rufai started off his European venture in Belgium back in 1987. He left Benin’s Dragons de l’Oueme to sign for KSC Lokeren. The goalkeeper, who
was also known for his nickname ‘Dodo Mayana,’ spent four years there but only
managed to play six games. He was fielded once in 1987/88 in the match versus
RC Liège. Lokeren ended the game as the losing side following their 3-0 defeat.
In the second season, 1988/89, Rufai had more chances to showcase his
quality. He got a nod in five matches consecutively from round 28 to round 32
in the Belgian top division, which enabled him to play alongside his teammate
in the Nigerian national team, the forward Samson Siasia. Sadly, he was sent
off in the last game versus KRC Genk. It was literally his last match in
Belgium, as he never got another opportunity to hit the pitch.
He switched sides to their rivals, KSK Beveren, in 1991 but never managed to
play a single game for his new team. Nevertheless, he stayed there for two
years. Overall, during his stint in Belgium, he made six appearances and three
clean sheets.
Clubs |
Matches (clean sheet) |
Notable games |
KSC
Lokeren (1987-1991) |
6 (3) |
vs KSV Weregem 2-1 |
KSK
Beveren (1991-1993) |
- |
|
Dodo Mayana’s next stint was in the
neighbouring league, Dutch Eredivisie. He joined another modest side, Go Ahead
Eagles in summer 1993. The late shot-stopper who began his professional career
with Stationery Stores in 1980 was able to gain more minutes and played in 12
games. He already made his debut in matchday two versus one of the giants, PSV Eindhoven. They suffered 3-0 defeat.
Rufai got a nod again in eleven more
matches, all in Portuguese league. Overall, he appeared in 12 games with seven
clean sheets. His contribution also helped his team, which was at that time led
by the former Chelsea and Barcelona assistant manager, Henk Ten Cate, finish 12th
in the standings. His fairly impressive form did attract some other clubs to
get sign him. Rufai’s stint in Holland was not as long as expected.
Clubs |
Matches (clean sheet) |
Notable games |
Go
Ahead Eagles Deventer (1993/1994) |
12 (7) |
vs
FC Utrecht 4-0 (H) vs
Roda JC 3-1 (H) vs
NAC Breda 0-0 (H) |
Portugal (Farense & Gli Vicente)
He finally found his place where he
played regularly in Portugal. Dodo Mayana signed for Portuguese top division
outfit, Farense in 1994. It did not take long for him to secure the spot as the
first choice. Rufai contributed to his team finish on a high note in the first
season. Farense managed to sit fifth at the end of the campaign and seal one
spot in UEFA Cup for the first time in the club’s history. They only conceded
38 goals in 34 matches.
In the second season, Rufai and his
team failed to replicate their impressive campaign. They were only able to
finish on 13th place, despite some stunning results, such as an away
1-0 win over Benfica in Da Luz and a 2-0 victory while taking on Boavista. The
former was one of Dodo Mayana’s notable game of the season. He was able to keep
the home side at bay and the clean sheet, plus making three clinical saves to
help his team snatch an important win on the road.
In their continental campaign, the
goalie who was the founder of Staruf Football Academy in Lagos back in 2009,
was unable to get Farense through at the latter stage. They immediately headed
to the exit in the first round following their 2-0 loss on aggregate versus
Lyon.
In his final season, Rufai only
played in 13 games as he switched sides to Spanish La Liga outfit, Hercules CF
in the 1997 winter transfer window. After his stint in Spain, he returned to
Portugal one last time before he retired. The Lagos-born shot-stopper joined
the mid-table, Gil Vicente in summer 1999. He played in one fixture only
throughout his season there, as his team trounced Maritimo 5-1. In total, Rufai
made 63 appearances for both clubs.
Clubs |
Matches (clean sheet) |
Notable games |
Farense (1994-1997) |
62 (??) |
vs
Benfica 4-1 (H) -1994/95 vs
Benfica 1-0 (A) – 1995/96 vs
Boavista 2-0 (H) – 1995/96 vs
Sporting Lisbon 0-0 (A) 1996/97 |
Gil
Vicente (1999-2000) |
1 (-) |
vs Maritimo 5-1 (H) |
Spain (Hercules CF & Deportivo
La Coruna)
Rufai earned
his move to the top level at the age of 34 already when the relegation
struggler, Hercules Alicante CF was in need of experienced goalie to salvage
their campaign. Unfortunately, he was not able to do much to keep them in the
top flight.
He only played in 11 games and resulted two wins and one draw only. However, Rufai put on quite a show in one of the important match against Sir Bobby Robson’s Barcelona. Taking on the star studded side, including Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique and Luis Figo in it, Hercules did not start off well as expected. In fact, they conceded due to the rebound from Rufai’s poor clearance. The current PSG boss, Luis Enrique slotted home to give Blaugrana the early lead.Nevertheless, Gabriel Amato and Co did not give in and managed to bounce back to secure a 2-1win. Dodo Manyan did his part by making two saves to find his redemption.
Sadly, such triumph did not help much of their campaign. They only could climb one spot on the 20th before going back again following their loss to Real Valladolid. Their last win over Athletic Bilbao was in vain. Yet, Rufai did not get a nod in the last two games.
Despite his
team’s relegation, he did not have to play in Segunda Division as one of the
top side at that time, Deportivo La Coruna, came on knocking the door. Rufai
signed for the Galician side and stayed for two seasons, although he mainly
became the second fiddle to Cameroon’s Jacques Songo’o.
Rufai’s chance
to hit the pitch came on the round 19 against Sporting Gijon. He came off the
bench following Songo’o’s expulsion in the 3rd minute. The current
Argentina boss, Lionel Scaloni was sacrificed for bringing him up. La Coruna clinched a 2-1 win in the end.
He was then
fielded for another nine games, eight in the league and one match in Copa del
Rey. Some of the notable fixtures when he was between the stick was a 2-2 draw
versus Real Madrid, 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao and 2-1 victory against Real
Zaragoza.
After his
retirement, Dodo Mayana did make his return to Spain in 2003. The goalie who
contributed heavily in Super Eagles’ victorious campaign in 1994 AFCON was
settling there and opened a goalkeeper school. He was reportedly travelling
throughout the country to coach the kids and teenagers in the grassroots level
for goalkeeping.
Clubs |
Matches (clean sheet) |
Notable games |
Hercules
CF (1997) |
11 (3) |
vs Barcelona 2-1 (H) |
Deportivo
La Coruna (1997-1999) |
10 (3) |
vs
Athletic Bilbao 3-0 (H) – 1997/98 vs
Real Zaragoza 2-1 (H) – 1997/98 |
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