FORMER Premier League striker Cedric Roussel has died aged 45.
The ex-Wolves and Coventry ace tragically passed away this afternoon after a suffering a heart attack.
Roussel joined Coventry, initially on loan, from Gent in 1999 – making his move to the Prem permanent for £1.2million in January of the following year.
He then signed for Wolves in 2001, and was on the books at Molineux for two years.
The forward spent his second Wolves season on loan at Mons in his homeland, bagging 22 goals.
His form earned him an international call-up, and he went on to play three times for Belgium.
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Following news of his passing, the Belgian national team wrote on social media: “We send our condolences to the family and friends of Cedric Roussel.”
While Coventry added: “Coventry City are deeply saddened to learn of the death of our former striker Cedric Roussel, at the age of just 45.
“Cedric played 43 games for the Sky Blues from 1999-2001, scoring 11 goals.
“Our condolences are with his family and friends at this very sad time.”
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Fans also paid tribute, with one author and Sky Blues supporter poignantly tweeting: “Cannot believe the news of Cedric Roussel’s passing.
“When interviewed for the book, Cedric was the loveliest, warmest man.
“He spoke of his time in Coventry as the best of his career and was very keen to come back to Coventry in 2023 to watch a game.”
A Wolves supporter added: “Really sad news to hear that Cedric Roussel has passed away at the age of 45. Spent two years at Wolves from 2001-03.
“Thoughts and condolences are with Cedric’s family and friends.”
Following his spell in England, Roussel returned to Belgium to sign for Genk.
He then enjoyed a long playing career, representing Rubin Kazan, Standard Liege, Zulte Waregem, Brescia, Mons and AEK Larnarca before dropping into the lower leagues.
Roussel announced his retirement in 2015 before moving into a career in real estate.
He went on to describe his time at Coventry as the highlight of his career during a 2015 interview – gushing over his partnership with Robbie Keane.
It was a wonderful time and the best part of my career
Cedric Roussel on his time at Coventry
The former striker said: “Keane was a great player and we somehow clicked from day one. The first time we played with each other in training it just seemed to work.
“We both knew each other’s strengths and just played off them. He is one of those players who has that something about him and he always knew where the ball was going to be.
“It was a wonderful time and the best part of my career. We played some wonderful matches and I scored some important goals too.
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“I remember beating Arsenal at Christmas and we nearly beat Manchester United at Old Trafford too.
“Playing in the Premier League was my dream and I was given a chance to make that happen at Coventry. I was still young at the time but I had to give it a go.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
