August 19, 2025
By Ayinde Adeleke
The football community has been thrown into mourning following the death of Nigerian-born Beninese international striker, Razak Omotoyossi, who passed away on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, at the age of 38.
Omotoyossi, born in Lagos, Nigeria, before switching allegiance to represent Benin, enjoyed a remarkable international career between 2004 and 2016, earning 55 caps and scoring 21 goals. He remains one of Benin’s all-time leading scorers, famously netting four goals in a single match against Togo during the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers — finishing the campaign as joint-top scorer alongside Samuel Eto’o.
At club level, Omotoyossi’s career spanned more than a dozen teams across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He starred for Helsingborgs IF in Sweden, where he was the Allsvenskan’s top scorer in 2007 and featured in the UEFA Champions League. He also played for FC Metz (France), Al-Nassr (Saudi Arabia), Zamalek (Egypt), and clubs in Moldova, Libya, South Africa, and Syria.
Although the cause of his death has not been officially confirmed, reports indicate that Omotoyossi had endured a difficult period in recent months. His house was destroyed in a fire in July 2025, and just weeks later, he suffered the loss of his sister. Family sources also disclosed that he had been struggling with depression.
Tributes have poured in from across the football world. Clubs including Helsingborgs IF and FC Metz, alongside teammates and fans, described Omotoyossi as a gifted goalscorer who played the game with passion and left a lasting legacy on African football.
Omotoyossi’s death marks the end of an era for Beninese football, where he remains celebrated as one of the most influential strikers in the country’s history.
