Former Nigerian and Flying Eagles Captain, Isaac Promise was pronounced dead by the management of Austin Bold, the club he was playing for before his Death.
The cause of the 31-year old’s death was however unrevealed remains a shocking one as the player was on the team’s bench for the team’s US championship victory last Saturday.
Isaac Promise started his national team career with the 2003 Golden Eaglets squad to the FIFA U17 World Cup in Finland but he became more prominent with the 2005 Flying Eagles set to the FIFA U20 World Cup in the Netherlands where he captained the side that had the likes of John Obi Mikel, Taye Taiwo, Ogbuke Obasi to the final of the competition where they finished second behind a Messi led Argentina.
Subsequently, while the trio had respectable career with the senior national team especially Mikel Obi, Isaac Promise failed to make more than three appearances for the Super Eagles.
However, he managed silver medals at the FIFA U20 World Cup in 2005 and the Beijing Olympics in 2008. His leadership skills on the field of play rather than his goal-scoring abilities were the major reasons why Nigerians looked forward to him playing in the super Eagles for long and maybe grow into a mature role of a striker and leader on the field of play but sadly this was never meant to be.
Meanwhile, he had more or less, a journeyman type of career playing majority of his club football in Turkey in the Turkish league from 2005 till 2017, he played for 7 Turkish clubs most notably in Genclerbirligi where had his highest Tally of 29 goals in 93 appearances in 3 years.
He also featured for the likes of Trabzonspor, Manisaspor, Antalyaspor, Balikesirspor, Karabukspor, Al Ahli, Georgia Revolution and Austin Bold.
His total tally of 80 goals in just over 340 appearances is a pointer to the fact that much more could have been achieved by the Zarian born player if things were done a bit differently.
Taye Taiwo, Mikel Obi, Obasi Ogbuke, Onyekachi Apam, Dele Adeleye, Sani Keita all had a reasonable time with the Super Eagles at one point or the other, Isaac on the other hand was like Olubayo Adefemi who died in Greece in 2011, left with many potentials unrealised and many Promises unfulfilled
May his soul rest in peace and may God grant his family the fortitude to bear the loss
