Former Eagles Goalie, Carl Ikeme Hangs Boots

Former Super Eagles’ number one goalkeeper, Carl Ikeme, has announced his retirement from the game.

The Wolverhampton Wanderers FC safe hands, diagnosed with acute leukaemia in July 2017 but who entered into complete remission only last month, announced the decision on Friday afternoon.

Last month, on entering into complete remission, Ikeme had announced on his twitter handle: “After a tough year and intense chemotherapy treatment I would like to let everyone know I am in complete REMISSION. I still have hurdles to get over to be cured but I can hopefully now move forward with some normality.

“I would like to thank my family/friends, to start with who have gone above and beyond for me. The support I have received from Wolves/Nigeria, the football world and from people from all over the world has been hard to put into words. I can’t thank everyone at the Christie and Heartlands Hospital enough for their care!!! What next who knows…I’m just taking it a day at a time.”

Ikeme was in goal for Nigeria’s first three matches of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying series (home and away against Swaziland in the preliminary stage, and away to Zambia in the opener to the group phase campaign) before being diagnosed of acute leukaemia. His first cap was in a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier away to Tanzania in Dar es Salaam in September 2015.