March 14, (THEWILL) — Nigeria has lost one of the defining figures of its football history, Henry Nwosu, the former Green Eagles midfielder, who was part of the squad that delivered the country’s first Africa Cup of Nations title in 1980, died in the early hours of Saturday at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital in Ikeja. He was 62.
Nwosu had been receiving treatment in the intensive care unit at LASUTH since Wednesday, having battled a prolonged illness over five days. He died at approximately 4:00 a.m., leaving behind a football community that had hoped he would recover.
The news was confirmed by his former teammate, Segun Odegbami, a fellow member of the 1980 AFCON-winning side, who paid tribute by invoking the nickname “Youngest Millionaire”, a term of endearment that captured Nwosu’s standing within that historic squad. He was between 16 and 18 years old when Nigeria lifted the continental trophy on home soil, making him the youngest player in a group that etched its place in the nation’s sporting memory.
Nwosu built a career defined by creativity, technical quality, and the rare ability to play with equal effectiveness on either foot. He scored Nigeria’s lone goal at the 1980 Olympics and went on to represent the country at the AFCON tournaments of 1982 and 1984, and again at the 1988 edition, where Nigeria finished second. His international career extended into the early 1990s, and after retiring from playing he moved into coaching, with Gateway United FC among the clubs he served.
His passing comes just five days after the death of former Super Eagles head coach Adegboye Onigbinde, who died on March 9 at the age of 88. The back-to-back losses have cast a long shadow over Nigerian football, with two generations mourning within the same week.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
