In its Facebook update, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) said they were deeply saddened to hear about the passing of the 67-year-old former Lions team player.

Known affectionately as “Mat Noh” to a generation of fans in the 1970s, the skillful attacker entertained football fans with his dazzling dribbling prowess and body feints on the pitch, FAS said.

“A nightmare for opposition defenders on the flanks, he was a member of the 1977 Malaysia Cup-winning side,” the update said.

FAS noted that Mat Noh also famously scored the winning goal in the first round of World Cup qualifiers on March 6, 1977, firing home a penalty in a 1-0 win at the Kallang Stadium against a strong Malaysian side regarded as one of Asia’s best at the time.

“Our sincerest thoughts and deepest condolences go out to his family and loved ones during this difficult time.

Earlier, a local media outlet reported that the former winger was in a critical condition at Sengkang General Hospital.

Meanwhile, Singapore’s veteran songbird Rahimah Rahim who was Mat Noh’s wife for 11 years, also expressed her sadness.

“Me and my family with deep sorrow will like to share that Mohamed Noh Hussein, 67, has returned to Rahmatullah,” she wrote on her Facebook posting along with a photo of Mat Noh.

The pair divorced in 1988.