Tinubu mourns: Henry Nwosu’s Football Artistry was stuff of Legends

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

President Bola Tinubu has joined the Nigerian football community in mourning the passing of legendary Super Eagles midfielder Henry Nwosu, describing the 1980 AFCON winner as an “exceptionally skilled” playmaker whose “football artistry remains the stuff of legends.”

Nwosu died on Saturday at the age of 62, leaving behind a legacy as the youngest member of the historic Green Eagles squad that secured Nigeria’s first continental title on home soil in 1980.

In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu extended heartfelt condolences to the Nwosu family.

The President recalled with admiration Nwosu’s brilliance as a 17-year-old during the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations triumph, a moment that etched his name into the annals of Nigerian football history.

President Tinubu acknowledged Nwosu’s more than a decade of service to the nation as a member of the national football team, his role in subsequent AFCON tournaments in 1982, 1984, and 1988, and his contributions to sports development in the country.

The President stated that Nigerians will always remember the late playmaker “for the pride and joy he brought to the nation and for inspiring many compatriots to greater accomplishments.”

Nwosu earned approximately 60 caps for Nigeria between 1980 and 1991, scored the nation’s only goal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, and later served as assistant coach at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where Nigeria secured silver.

President Tinubu prayed for the repose of Nwosu’s soul and comfort for his family.