Deep grief and sorrow gripped Nigerian football once more after news broke on Saturday morning of the demise of 1980 Africa Cup of Nations winner and a true legend of the game, Henry Nwosu, who died in a Lagos hospital four hours into the day.
One of the best left-sided midfielders globally to have played the game, Nwosu was the youngest member of the 1980 AFCON-winning Green Eagles (at 17), and then played in the Final matches of the 1984 and 1988 AFCON.
NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, said Nwosu’s death, while a grim reminder of how frail we all are, is a deep stab only a few days after the departure of former NFF Technical Director and two-time Head Coach of the Nigeria senior men’s team, Chief Adegboye Onigbinde.
“This is another very sad news, even as we are still mourning the demise of Chief Onigbinde. Nigeria football can never forget the enormous contributions of Henry Nwosu both as a player and a coach. We pray that God will grant him eternal rest, and also grant the family he has left behind, as well as friends and relations the fortitude to bear the loss.”
On April 25, 1981, at the age of 18, Henry Nwosu scored one of Nigeria’s most spectacular goals ever when he rifled home from the edge of the box with a few minutes to the end of a difficult FIFA World Cup qualifying match against the Syli Stars of Guinea. The goal saw Nigeria qualify for the final round of the series against Algeria.
Apart from being a member of the team that won Nigeria’s first AFCON trophy on home soil in 1980, Nwosu steered the Eagles to the Championship games of the 1984 and 1988 finals, both against Cameroon. He was brilliant in both, with Cameroon eventually winning the former 3-1 in Abidjan and then pipping the Eagles controversially in Casablanca four years later, with Nwosu’s fabulous first-half header strangely ruled a no-goal by Mauritanian referee Idrissa Sarr.
The death of the midfield impresario brings to nine the number of the 1980 AFCON winners to have passed, with goalkeepers Best Ogedegbe and Moses Effiong, defenders Tunde Bamidele, Okey Isima and ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu, midfielders Mudashiru Lawal and Aloysius Atuegbu, and forward Martins Eyo having departed this world earlier.
On the home front, Nwosu was a marvel in the colours of New Nigerian Bank FC of Benin and ACB FC of Lagos, later playing in Côte d’Ivoire, where he enjoyed his football and entertained endlessly with his neat dribbles, creativity, vision, and panache.
After retiring from playing the game, Nwosu served as a coach for several domestic clubs.
