Nigeria is mourning the loss of one of the heroes of its historic football triumph, Henry Nwosu, who has passed away.
The former Nigerian international, remembered as the youngest member of the team that won Nigeria’s first-ever 1980 Africa Cup of Nations, died in the early hours of Saturday after days of fighting for his life in hospital.
The sad news was confirmed by his former teammate Segun Odegbami, who revealed that Nwosu had been receiving treatment at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital.
He had been admitted since Wednesday and spent his final days in intensive care.
Odegbami shared the heartbreaking update in a tribute filled with grief, recalling the courage with which Nwosu battled for survival.
“After five days in hospital battling for his life, the one I fondly called ‘Youngest Millionaire’ passed away at about 4:00 a.m. this morning at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital in Ikeja, where he had been in intensive care since Wednesday,” he said.
Overcome with emotion, the former Super Eagles star added that the news was difficult to deliver.
“It is with deep pain in my heart that I share the passing of Henry Nwosu, the youngest member of our victorious 1980 AFCON squad. May he find eternal rest with our Creator in Heaven.”
Nwosu’s name remains etched in the story of Nigerian football.
As part of the golden generation that lifted the 1980 AFCON trophy, he helped deliver a moment of national pride that united millions of Nigerians and changed the course of the country’s football history.
With his passing, Nigeria loses not just a former midfielder, but a symbol of a glorious era—one of the men who helped write the first chapter of the nation’s continental success.
His legacy, however, will continue to live on in the memories of fans and in the history of Nigerian football.
The post Sad Day for Nigerian Football as AFCON Winner Dies first appeared on Africa Top Sports.
