Ex-Super Eagles midfielder Henry Nwosu dies at 62

Former Super Eagles midfielder Henry Nwosu has died at the age of 62.

His death was announced on Saturday by former teammate and Segun Odegbami, a member of Nigeria’s 1980 Africa Cup of Nations–winning squad.

Odegbami disclosed that Nwosu passed away at about 4:00 a.m. at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, where he had been receiving treatment in the intensive care unit.

According to him, the former midfielder had spent five days in the hospital battling for his life before his death.

“It is with deep pain in my heart that I have to convey the news of the death of Henry Nwosu MON. May he rest peacefully with our Creator in Heaven,” Odegbami said.

Nwosu, who hailed from Imo State, was the youngest member of Nigeria’s squad that won the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations, when the then Green Eagles secured the country’s first continental title on home soil.

Renowned for his creativity, vision and technical skill in midfield, Nwosu later became a respected figure in Nigeria’s domestic football scene.

After retiring from active football, he remained involved in the game as a coach and mentor, contributing to the development of younger players.

His passing comes just days after the death of another Nigerian football icon, Adegboye Onigbinde, a former Super Eagles coach who led Nigeria to the 2002 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by Japan and South Korea. Onigbinde died on March 9 at the age of 88.

Both Nwosu and Onigbinde were influential figures in Nigerian football during the 1980s, with Onigbinde serving as head coach of the national team between 1982 and 1984.