PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Legendary Trinidad & Tobago midfielder Leroy De Leon has left the nation’s soccer fraternity mourning after passing away on Tuesday.
The 76-year-old midfield maestro thought-about one in all T&T’s biggest footballers, would have celebrated his birthday on February 7.
Prime Minister Keith Rowley stated in a press release that De Leon had left the nation with “enduring recollections.”
“The most effective who ever graced a soccer area sporting the nationwide colours. He excelled on the stunning sport and left us with some enduring recollections.
“We hope that Mahaica and Pt Fortin will treasure his legacy and proceed to provide extra sons like Leroy. As we speak, the nation mourns with you. Could he relaxation in peace,” the assertion learn.
The Trinidad & Tobago Soccer Affiliation (TTFA) additionally remembered De Leon as a trailblazer and inspiration to many.
“De Leon was not solely a footballer of extraordinary ability and imaginative and prescient but in addition an envoy for the game, inspiring generations of gamers along with his expertise, dedication, and love for the sport.
“As one of the gifted gamers of his period, he introduced pleasure to our nation, representing T&T with grace and excellence on the worldwide stage,” the TTFA stated in a launch.
“Past his contributions on the sector, Leroy De Leon might be remembered for his function in elevating the soccer profile in T&T and the Caribbean. He was a trailblazer whose ardour ignited desires in younger athletes and left an indelible mark on the game’s improvement within the area.”
De Leon graduated from St Benedict’s Faculty, the place he performed within the Schools League, which is now the Secondary Colleges Soccer League (SSFL).
He was named the best SSFL participant from the primary 50 years of 2016.
De Leon was later inducted into T&T’s Sports activities Corridor of Fame in 2008 and named to the North American Soccer League’s First Crew in 1970.
In 1967, he signed with the New York Generals of the Nationwide Skilled Soccer League (NPSL). After the NPSL merged with the United Soccer Affiliation to type the North American Soccer League (NASL), De Leon moved to the Washington Darts after which to the American Soccer League.
He completed his NASL profession in 1979 with the Seattle Sounders.
In 1979, De Leon moved to the Detroit Lightning of the Main Indoor Soccer League, and he was ultimately traded to the Phoenix Inferno, the place he retired after three seasons.
De Leon, who made his nationwide group debut on the age of 16, is reported to have 17 official caps for T&T on the senior degree.
