Henry Nwosu, one of Nigeria's most gifted midfielders of the 1980s, passed away on March 14, 2026, after a prolonged battle with a heart condition. He was laid to rest on June 6, 2026. His former teammate and Green Eagles legend Segun Odegbami has paid a heartfelt tribute to him, recalling his extraordinary talent, his warmth, and the nickname that defined him among his peers — The Youngest Millionaire.

The story behind the nickname

Odegbami coined the nickname after Nigeria's triumph at the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations. At the time, the squad's allowances were modest — daily payments of as little as ₦2 to ₦5 and a match bonus of ₦60. A bonus of ₦1,000 felt like an unimaginable fortune. Nwosu, the youngest member of the group and fresh out of secondary school, was among the first to earn that figure, prompting Odegbami to dub him