LAGOS, NIGERIA — Nigeria’s football community has been plunged into mourning following the death of former Super Eagles midfielder and member of the historic 1980 Africa Cup of Nations–winning squad, Henry Nwosu. He was 62.
Nwosu died in the early hours of Saturday at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, after spending five days in intensive care battling a brief illness.
The news was confirmed by his former teammate and fellow 1980 AFCON winner, Segun Odegbami.
“After five days in hospital battling for his life, the one I call ‘Youngest Millionaire’ passed on at 4:00 a.m. this morning at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, where he had been in intensive care since Wednesday,” Odegbami wrote in an emotional tribute.
“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”.
Born in Imo State on June 14, 1963, Nwosu was the youngest member of the Green Eagles squad that secured Nigeria’s first-ever continental title on home soil in 1980.
Renowned for his vision, creativity, and technical ability, he earned approximately 60 caps for Nigeria between 1980 and 1991, scoring eight goals . He represented the nation at the 1980, 1982, 1984, and 1988 Africa Cup of Nations, finishing as runner-up in 1984 and 1988, and also scored Nigeria’s only goal at the 1980 Olympic Games.
At club level, Nwosu played for notable Nigerian sides including New Nigeria Bank FC of Benin City and ACB Lagos, and also had spells abroad with ASEC Mimosas of Côte d’Ivoire and Racing FC Bafoussam of Cameroon.
After retiring in the early 1990s, he remained involved in the game as a coach and mentor, working with clubs such as Union Bank FC and Gateway United, and serving as an assistant coach with Nigeria’s national teams, including the 2008 Olympic silver medal-winning side.
His passing comes just days after the death of former Super Eagles coach Adegboye Onigbinde, who died on March 9 at the age of 88, dealing a double blow to the nation’s football fraternity.
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