By Obinna Uballa
Former Super Eagles midfielder Henry Nwosu has died at the age of 62.
The death of the Imo State-born football legend was announced on Saturday by his former teammate and fellow 1980 Africa Cup of Nations winner, Segun Odegbami.
Odegbami disclosed in a message shared on his media platforms that Nwosu died in the early hours of Saturday at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, where he had been receiving treatment.
“Henry Nwosu passes on! After five days in hospital battling for his life, the one I call ‘Youngest Millionaire’ passed on at 4:00 am this morning at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, where he had been in intensive care since Wednesday,” Odegbami wrote.
“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,” he added.
Nwosu was widely celebrated for his role in Nigeria’s historic victory at the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations, where the then Green Eagles won their first continental title on home soil.
He was the youngest member of the squad that secured the championship, earning admiration for his creativity, vision and technical ability in midfield.
Over the years, Nwosu became a prominent figure in Nigerian domestic football and remained closely connected to the sport after retiring from active play.
He later served as a coach and mentor, contributing to the development of younger footballers across the country.
Nwosu’s death comes only days after Nigeria lost another football icon, former Super Eagles coach Adegboye Onigbinde, who died on March 9 at the age of 88.
Onigbinde led Nigeria to the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea and was also part of the Green Eagles set-up during the early 1980s, serving as head coach between 1982 and 1984.
The deaths of the two prominent figures have triggered tributes from the Nigerian football community, with many remembering their contributions to the growth of the game in the country.
