By Kazeem Ajibola Shoyebo
Nigerian football has been thrown into mourning following the death of former international midfielder Henry Nwosu, a key member of the historic team that won Nigeria’s first continental title at the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations. He died in a Lagos hospital early Saturday at the age of 62.
Widely regarded as one of the finest left-sided midfielders to emerge from Nigerian football, Nwosu made history as the youngest member of the victorious Green Eagles squad, playing a role in the country’s landmark triumph on home soil in Lagos.
Beyond the 1980 title, Nwosu remained a central figure for Nigeria throughout the decade, featuring in two more AFCON finals in 1984 and 1988, both against Cameroon national football team.
In the 1984 final in Abidjan, Nigeria fell 3–1 to Cameroon, while the 1988 showdown in Casablanca ended in a narrow defeat under controversial circumstances after a first-half header from Nwosu was ruled out by referee Idrissa Sarr.
The Nigerian football community described his passing as a huge loss to the sport. The Nigeria Football Federation said Nwosu’s death comes only days after the passing of former national team coach Adegboye Onigbinde.
NFF General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi paid tribute to the former midfielder, noting that his contributions as both a player and coach will remain a significant part of Nigeria’s football history.
Nwosu’s death raises the number of deceased members of the 1980 AFCON-winning squad to nine, following the earlier passing of teammates including Christian Chukwu, Mudashiru Lawal and Best Ogedegbe.
His legacy, however, remains deeply rooted in the story of Nigeria’s rise in African football
Leave feedback about this