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Former U17 World Cup Golden Ball winner Osondu dies at 48

Golden Ball winner at the 1987 U17 World Cup Philip Osondu has passed after a brief illness, at the age of 48, in Belgium.

Goal gathered that the former Nigeria wonderkid felt indisposed and visited the hospital to be examined, and subsequently passed away.

Osondu played a pivotal role as the Golden Eaglets placed second in Canada '87 – and was subsequently named as the tournament’s best player ahead of Cote d’Ivoire’s Moussa Traore.

He was also a member of the Nigeria U20 squad that were runners-up at the 1989 U20 Fifa World Cup in Saudi Arabia.