Henry Nwosu, a former Super Eagles midfielder and member of the historic 1980 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) winning squad, has passed away.
His passing was confirmed by fellow ex-international Segun Odegbami via a Facebook post on Saturday. According to Odegbami, Nwosu succumbed to his illness at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in Ikeja, after a five-day battle for his life. The former football star had been in intensive care since Wednesday and tragically passed away at 4:00 a.m.
Nwosu, widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s most influential midfielders of the 1980s and early 1990s, earned 60 caps for the Super Eagles. He played a central role in Nigeria’s first-ever AFCON triumph in 1980, a historic milestone in the country’s football journey.
What they are saying
In a heartfelt tribute, Odegbami, who affectionately referred to Nwosu as the “Youngest Millionaire”, wrote:
- “After 5 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.
- 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.”
At the club level, Nwosu had impressive stints with New Nigeria Bank F.C. and Stationery Stores F.C., contributing significantly to domestic competitions during his career. Internationally, he represented Nigeria in numerous tournaments, including the 1988 Summer Olympics, showcasing his skills on the global stage and cementing his legacy as one of the nation’s premier midfielders.
Brief profile
Nwosu’s club career saw him excel in Nigeria with New Nigeria Bank (NNB) of Benin City and African Continental Bank (ACB) of Lagos, while he also showcased his talents abroad with ASEC Mimosas FC of Ivory Coast and Racing FC Bafoussam of Cameroon.
His international career is equally illustrious: he was the youngest member of Nigeria’s victorious 1980 African Nations Cup squad and scored Nigeria’s only goal at the 1980 Olympics. He also represented the Super Eagles in the 1982, 1984, and 1988 AFCON tournaments, finishing as runners-up in the latter two, and played his final match for Nigeria in 1991, earning 60 caps over his career.
After retiring as a player, Nwosu transitioned into coaching, continuing to influence Nigerian football. He served as assistant to Samson Siasia at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where Nigeria won the silver medal, and was also part of Shuaibu Onigbinde’s coaching team that led the Super Eagles to the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan.
On 27 September 2008, he was appointed coach of the Nigerian U-17 team, though he left the role in April 2009 after a string of poor results ahead of the FIFA U-17 World Cup. He later took charge of Union Bank F.C. in August 2009 and was named coach of Gateway United F.C. in Abeokuta in October 2013.
