Henry Nwosu, ‘the youngest millionaire’, in need of help

Former Nigeria international, Henry Nwosu

I call him ‘Youngest Millionaire.’

It is a nickname that I gave him following our team’s success at the 1980 African Cup of Nations.

We had received a lot of gifts that must have amounted to a tidy sum. Being the youngest player in the squad at the time (he was 18 years of age) Henry Nwosu earned the unofficial title, ‘Youngest Millionaire’

For 42 years since then, Henry and I have had a very good but distant relationship. We never socialised together even when we were neighbours in the FESTAC houses the Federal Government gave each member of the 1980 squad, but remained friendly to each other whenever and wherever we met along life’s circuit.

When we were in the national team, everyone respected the young midfield player because of his commanding presence on the field and how he marshalled the midfield. He was small in stature but had the ability to conduct affairs in the mid-field like a General in the army, dictating the pace and tempo of his teams’ performance. Like Stephen Keshi, he was a born leader on the field, but unlike him, he was less so outside it. He packed power in both feet. He could dribble, pass the ball and shoot very accurately with either foot.

After his career as a player, except for when Chief Festus Onigbinde invited him to join his consortium of coaches to the Korea/Japan World Cup in 2002, Henry has not been as visible and as successful as a football coach.

Unfortunately, this last week, the ’Youngest Millionaire’, a Member of the Order of the Niger, MON, has been in the news. He has been hospitalised and is receiving treatment for a heart-related ailment. He obviously now needs a higher level of medical attention. Having exhausted his personal financial