Enugu Rangers and Nigeria legend Christian Chukwu has died at the age of 74, his family have confirmed.
The former centre-back captained the Green Eagles (now Super Eagles) to their maiden Africa Cup of Nations triumph in 1980.
Prior to that historic triumph, Chukwu was also part of the Nigeria squad that finished third at the 1976 and 1978 editions hosted by Ethiopia and Ghana respectively.
Aside from his international exploit, he remains of the greatest players to have featured in the Nigeria Professional Football League only playing for boyhood club Enugu Rangers between 1972 and 1981.
During his trophy-laden spell with the Flying Antelopes, he won four league titles and four FA Cup titles, amongst other individual accolades. In Africa, he inspired the team to win the 1977 African Cup Winners’ Cup when the Enugu-based outfit defeated Cameroon’s Canon Yaounde in the final.
Chukwu replaced Abdul Majid as head coach of the Kenyan senior national team in 1998; however, after an unsuccessful spell, he returned to Nigeria.
Five years later, he was appointed as Super Eagles coach in 2003 – leading the country to a third-place finish at the 2004 AFCON before he was suspended indefinitely in 2005 during the qualifiers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
His former international teammate Segun Odegbami went on social media to lament the passing of his ‘bosom friend’.
“Breaking News!! my chairman has passed on this morning, ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu, MFR, my bosom friend and team mate, one of the greatest football players in Nigeria’s football history, former captain and coach of Nigeria’s national football team, has passed on,” he wrote on X.
The legendary Chukwu had battled severe health issues in recent years, with billionaire Femi Otedola once offsetting his medical bills during his trip to the United States.
