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Spanish Footballer Nico Hidalgo Dies at 32 After Battle With Cancer
Spanish footballer Nico Hidalgo has passed away at the age of 32 after a long battle with lung cancer. His former clubs confirmed the heartbreaking news on Saturday.
Hidalgo started his football journey at Motril, making his senior debut in 2010 before joining Granada B in 2012. In 2014, he signed with Juventus but never featured for the first team, leading to a loan move back to Granada.
His career saw him play for Cádiz, initially on loan before making the move permanent in 2017. He later played for Racing Santander and Extremadura before retiring in 2022, a year after being diagnosed with cancer.
Granada paid tribute to him, saying, “With Nico’s departure, we not only lose a talented footballer but also a remarkable person. The love from his teammates, coaches, staff, and fans will always remain.”
Cádiz also shared a heartfelt message: “We will never forget your smile and joy. Your fight will always inspire us. Rest in peace.”
Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey has opened up about a difficult period in his career, revealing that he almost stepped away from football.
Speaking during a recent interview, Bassey shared that he once made a personal promise to himself to quit pursuing football professionally if he failed to secure a spot at a professional club.
“I remember being 15 and going into my final year, and I told myself that if I didn’t get into a professional club, I would quit football. It was that simple,” he said.
“I would just stop pursuing it seriously and only play for fun. Thank God I eventually got a club, because I honestly don’t know where I would be otherwise.”
It has been reported that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) fined Egypt $5,000 following their clash with Zimbabwe for failing to manage post-match media obligations.
It was noted that after the match, the Egyptian players ignored the media. This action was said to be a violation of CAF’s media regulations, which led to the fine being imposed.
Head of the Super Eagles, Eric Chelle, shared that the big-name players on the team are not happy about being benched.
He recalled when he took out Samuel Chukwueze during the match against Tanzania.
“Yes, of course, we’ve in this team a lot of big names. They are competitors; they aren’t happy when they go to the bench,” Chelle said at his post-match interview.”
“My job is to make choices, and we’re playing a 4-4-2 diamond, and at this moment I feel we have to protect the wing.”
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