LEGENDARY Trinidad & Tobago midfielder Leroy De Leon has left the country’s football fraternity in mourning after passing away on Tuesday.
The 76-year-old midfield maestro considered one of T&T’s greatest footballers, would have celebrated his birthday on February 7.
In a statement, Prime Minister Keith Rowley said De Leon had left the country with “enduring memories”.
“One of the best who ever graced a football field wearing the national colours. He excelled at the beautiful game and left us with some enduring memories.
“We hope that Mahaica and Pt Fortin will treasure his legacy and continue to produce more sons like Leroy. Today the nation mourns with you. May he rest in peace,” the statement read.
The Trinidad & Tobago Football Association (TTFA) also remembered De Leon as a man who had been a trailblazer and an inspiration to many.
“De Leon was not only a footballer of extraordinary skill and vision but also an ambassador for the sport, inspiring generations of players with his talent, determination, and love for the game.
“As one of the most gifted players of his era, he brought pride to our nation, representing T&T with grace and excellence on the international stage,” the TTFA said in a release.
“Beyond his contributions on the field, Leroy De Leon will be remembered for his role in elevating the profile of football in T&T and the Caribbean. He was a trailblazer whose passion ignited dreams in young athletes and left an indelible mark on the sport’s development in the region.”
De Leon graduated from St Benedict’s College where he played in the Colleges League, now the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL).
He was named the greatest SSFL player from the first 50 years in 2016.
De Leon was later inducted into the T&T’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2008 and was also named to the North American Soccer League’s First Team in 1970.
He signed with the New York Generals of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) in 1967 and after the NPSL merged with the United Soccer Association to form the North American Soccer League (NASL), De Leon moved to the Washington Darts, then to the American Soccer League.
He finished his NASL career in 1979 with the Seattle Sounders.
In 1979, De Leon moved to the Detroit Lightning of the Major Indoor Soccer League and he was eventually traded to the Phoenix Inferno where he retired after three seasons.
De Leon, who made his national team debut at the age of 16, is reported to have 17 official caps for T&T at the senior level. (CMC)
