By Valentine Amanze, Online Editor
Nigerian former international goalkeeper and assistant coach of the Super Eagles, Joe Erico, who died at 72 years, is being buried in Lagos today (Friday).
Erico, popularly known as ‘Jogo Bonito Exponent,’ was a goalkeeper for Electricity Connectors of Nigeria (ECN) and former Green Eagle (now Super Eagles) of Nigeria in his playing days.
He introduced “Jogo Bonito,” an aesthetic football philosophy that is based on the tip-tap playing pattern similar to the Brazilian Samba in Nigeria in the 90s’ while still the coach of Julius Berger FC aka Adewale Bridge boys.
Erico alongside the late coach Shuaibu Amodu and the late Stephen Keshi qualified the Super Eagles for the 2002 Korea/Japan World Cup, but were dismissed before the Mundial.
Born Joseph Bassey Eric in the Odukpani Local Government Area in Cross River State, Erico belonged to the cast of the very best goalkeepers in the history of Nigeria’s senior football team, and served at the same period as the revered Emmanuel Okala and Eyo Essien.
He made his debut for then Green Eagles in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Zambia in Lagos in July 1973 (which Nigeria won 3-2), and then kept goal in all of Nigeria’s six matches at the 1976 Africa Cup of Nations in Ethiopia, where the Eagles finished third –
the first time Nigeria would win a medal at the AFCON.
Erico was also in goal in all of Nigeria’s pre-tournament friendlies against Kenya, Zambia and Tanzania just before the team flew to Ethiopia.
Family source said that he was being buried in Lagos because of his popularity in the state, where his career blusoomed.
