Nigeria has been thrown into mourning following the death of former Super Eagles midfielder Henry Nwosu, a key member of the team that won the country’s first Africa Cup of Nations title in 1980.
The passing of the Imo State-born football legend was announced by former teammate and 1980 AFCON winner Segun Odegbami via his media platforms.
Odegbami revealed that Nwosu died at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital in Ikeja, Lagos, after spending several days in intensive care.
“Henry Nwosu passes on,” Odegbami wrote.
“After five days in hospital battling for his life, the one I call ‘Youngest Millionaire’ passed away this morning at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, where he had been in intensive care.
“It is with deep pain in my heart that I have to be the conveyor of the news of the death of Henry Nwosu MON. May he rest peacefully with our Creator in Heaven.”
Nwosu rose to prominence as the youngest member of Nigeria’s victorious squad at the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations, where the then Green Eagles secured the country’s first continental title on home soil.
Renowned for his exceptional vision, creativity and technical ability in midfield, Nwosu became one of the most admired figures in Nigerian domestic football during his playing career.
After retiring from active football, he remained closely involved in the sport as a coach and mentor, dedicating time to developing younger players and contributing to football development in Nigeria.
His death comes just days after the country lost another football icon, former Super Eagles coach Adegboye Onigbinde, who guided Nigeria to the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea. Onigbinde died at the age of 88.
Both Nwosu and Onigbinde were prominent figures in the Green Eagles set-up during the 1980s, with Onigbinde serving as coach of the national team between 1982 and 1984.
Tributes are expected to pour in from across the Nigerian football community in honour of Nwosu’s contributions to the sport and his role in one of the country’s most historic football achievements.
