When Benjamin Odeje was called up by England schoolboys and made his debut against Northern Ireland in 1971, he didn’t know he was writing football history. History books recognized Laurie Cunningham, the West Bromwich Albion man who appeared for the Under 21s in 1977, as England’s first black footballer at any level. Sadly, the Nigerian-born man had to fight for decades to be recognized as the first Black footballer for England at any level. He scored for South East London School, Blackheath District and London Schoolboys where his coach was Roy Hodgson. One parent, John Palmer, told BBC London: “It is only right and proper that he gets his correct recognition.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 16, 2021 15:00 UTC