Former Super Eagles midfielder Henry Nwosu has died at the age of 62 after a short illness, marking another loss for Nigerian football.
The former international passed away at about 4:00 am on Saturday at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital in Ikeja, Lagos, where he had been receiving treatment in intensive care.
His death was announced by former teammate Segun Odegbami, a fellow member of Nigeria’s historic 1980 squad.
“After five days in hospital battling for his life, the one I call ‘Youngest Millionaire’ passed on,” Odegbami wrote in a message shared on his media platforms. “It is with deep pain in my heart that I convey the news of the death of Henry Nwosu MON. May he rest peacefully with our Creator in Heaven.”
Nwosu was born in Imo State and rose to national prominence as one of Nigeria’s most talented midfielders of his generation.
He was the youngest member of the national team that won the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations, when the Green Eagles secured their first continental title on home soil in Lagos.
Known for his vision, creativity and technical ability, Nwosu became a key figure in Nigerian domestic football and earned widespread respect for his influence on the pitch.
After retiring from professional football, he remained active in the sport as a coach and mentor, helping develop young players across the country.
His death comes days after the passing of former Super Eagles coach Adegboye Onigbinde, who led Nigeria to the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea.
Both Nwosu and Onigbinde were influential figures in Nigeria’s football history and were closely linked to the Green Eagles era of the early 1980s.
Tributes have begun to pour in from across the Nigerian football community, with former players and fans remembering Nwosu as a gifted midfielder who played a key role in one of the country’s greatest sporting achievements.
