By Amofokhai Williams
Nigeria’s football community is in mourning following the passing of Henry Nwosu, the youngest member of the historic 1980 Africa Cup of Nations-winning squad, who died on Saturday after a brief illness. He was 62.
The former Green Eagles midfielder passed away at approximately 4:00 a.m. at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in Ikeja, where he had been receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit since Wednesday.
His death comes just five days after the passing of former Super Eagles coach Chief Adegboye Onigbinde, casting a double shadow over Nigerian football.
The news was confirmed by his former teammate and fellow 1980 AFCON winner, Segun Odegbami, who delivered an emotional tribute through his official media platform.
“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, the youngest of the victorious 1980 AFCON squad. May he rest peacefully with our Creator in Heaven,” he added.
Born on June 14, 1963, in Imo State, Henry Onyemanze Nwosu burst onto the national scene as a teenager, becoming the youngest member of the Green Eagles squad that secured Nigeria’s first-ever continental title on home soil in 1980.
At just 16 years old, he played alongside legendary figures including Christian Chukwu, Adokiye Amiesimaka, Felix Owolabi, Emmanuel Okala, Best Ogedegbe, and Okey Isima.
His performances during that tournament announced the arrival of a generational talent-a midfielder renowned for his vision, creativity, technical ability, and the rare gift of being equally effective with both feet.
Nwosu‘s international career spanned 11 years, during which he earned approximately 60 caps and scored eight goals for Nigeria between 1980 and 1991.
He represented the nation at four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, 1980, 1982, 1984, and 1988, finishing as runner-up in the latter two editions.
One of his most notable achievements came at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, where he scored Nigeria’s only goal in the tournament, etching his name into the country’s Olympic football history .
At club level, Nwosu enjoyed a distinguished career spanning Nigeria and West Africa. He played for New Nigeria Bank (NNB) of Benin City between 1979 and 1985, making 60 appearances and scoring 11 goals.
He later featured for ACB Lagos before taking his talents abroad to ASEC Mimosas of Ivory Coast and Racing FC Bafoussam of Cameroon, returning to ACB Lagos for a final spell in the early 1990s.
Following his retirement from active football, Nwosu transitioned seamlessly into coaching, where he continued to serve the game he loved. He served as an assistant coach to Adegboye Onigbinde during the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan.
Perhaps his most notable coaching achievement came as assistant to former Eagles teammate Samson Siasia at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where the Dream Team IV secured a silver medal.
Nwosu later managed the Nigerian U-17 team, Union Bank FC, and Gateway United FC in Abeokuta, where he remained involved until recent years.
In recent years, Nwosu had faced significant health challenges, including a stroke that required medical care and support from the football community. He was admitted to LASUTH’s Intensive Care Unit on Wednesday and battled for his life over five days before succumbing to his illness in the early hours of Saturday.
Nwosu’s death represents the loss of one of Nigerian football’s golden generation—a player widely admired for his flair, intelligence, and influence during the formative years of the Super Eagles.
