‘HENRY NWOSU DIED BEFORE HIS TIME’
By Paul Gabriel Exactly five days after the demise of veteran coach Chief Adegboyega Onigbinde, the Nigerian football community was thrown into mourning with the passing of hugely talented former
By Paul Gabriel
Exactly five days after the demise of veteran coach Chief Adegboyega Onigbinde, the Nigerian football community was thrown into mourning with the passing of hugely talented former national team player Henry Nwosu (MON). Nwosu was the youngest member of the Green Eagles team that captured Nigeria’s first Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Known for his technical skills and exceptional ability as a midfielder, he died at the age of 62 after a brief illness.
Eulogies and encomiums began to pour shortly after Chief Odegbami, who was close to him and with him in his last days, broke the news on social media.
According to Odegbami, the former Nigerian international had been battling for his life for five days at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital.
Odegbami further revealed details about Nwosu’s final moments, saying the man he called “Youngest Millionaire” passed away at about 4 a.m. in the intensive care unit.
“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.
“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.”
The news has sent shockwaves through the Nigerian football community, with many fans and citizens paying tribute to the talented midfielder.
The Nigeria Football Federation also released a message on X (formerly Twitter), honoring the late football legend.
Nwosu was widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s most influential midfielders during the 1980s and early 1990s, earning about 60 appearances for the Nigeria national team.
He was also the youngest member of the historic Nigerian squad that won the country’s first-ever Africa Cup of Nations title in 1980.
At the club level, Nwosu played for several Nigerian teams, notably New Nigeria Bank F.C. and Stationery Stores F.C.
Beyond his achievements with the Nigeria national football team, Nwosu was an assistant for former Eagles teammate Samson Siasia at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where Nigeria won the silver medal. He was also an assistant to Onigbinde, who took the Super Eagles to the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan.
In his reaction to Nwosu’s death, ex-player Adeleke Ibiyemi spoke the mind of many ex-internationals. He is of the opinion that Nwosu’s death was avoidable, insisting that he ‘died before him.’
Each of his words evoked the anger of colleagues who are either living with ill health or in poverty.
He asked: “Another one gone before his time? Are we killing them? Is the system killing them? Who are those behind the system? Is Nigeria herself a sinker of souls?
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Would Henry Nwosu have lived another 20 years if he were a European like Franz Beckenbauer or a Brazilian like Pelé? Did Henry Nwosu die before his time? Who is next?
“The last major football engagement he had was the Ex-Internationals Cup organized by the Lagos State Football Association. For three months during the tournament, he was full of life. How do we engage our sporting heroes to keep them here till their appointed time of departure? Should the “Youngest Millionaire” in 1980 not be a decent Billionaire in 2026? Should Nwosu, a member of the Order of the Niger, die at the young age of 62? It is a painful loss, but it is just what it is.”
Another ex-international Emmanuel Sawyer echoed Ibiyemi’s sentiment. “He was a legend in his own right, and we shall miss him. My generation is taking the last lapse. God help us.”
Ex-player and politician Tajudeen Ajide also met with Nwosu during his last days. “It was a sad moment for me, having met him and his wife last week. That was shortly before he took ill and was taken in at the intensive care unit of LASUTH. Many ex-players are in bad shape, and I just pray that the system will improve. We are simply dying off. May God help us.”
