The player and head coach of the Super Eagles, Christian Chukwu, has passed away at the age of 74.
Insight Media Sports Arena reported that the former Super Eagles captain died on Saturday morning in his home state of Enugu.
Below are the things to know about the football legend:
Christian Chukwu was born on January 4, 1951, he captained the Nigerian national team, then known as the Green Eagles, between 1974 and 1980.
He was popularly addressed as The Chairman, Chukwu captained the Nigerian National Team to its first-ever Africa Cup of Nations title in 1980 and finished as a runner-up in 1976 and 1978.
Chukwu was the first Nigerian captain to lift the trophy after a 3–0 victory over Algeria in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations in 1980 tournament.
The Enugu-born legend also led the Enugu Rangers FC team that won the Africa Continental Cup in 1977.
The former player also served as assistant coach of the first team of the Golden Eaglets that won a FIFA World Cup trophy for Nigeria at the FIFA U16 World Cup in China in 1985.
He also served as the assistant coach of the team tagged the Golden Generation of the 1994 class of Super Eagles that qualified Nigeria for the first FIFA World Cup.
In October 1998, he was appointed the head coach of Kenya national team, and from 2003 to 2005, he coached Nigeria, leading them to reach the semifinals at the 2004 African Cup of Nations.
Chukwu captained the national team to its first-ever Africa Cup of Nations title in 1980 and later led the Super Eagles to a bronze medal at the 2004 AFCON in Tunisia.
He was, however, sacked in June 2005 during the qualification campaign for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Chukwu coached Enugu Rangers to 6th place in the 2008/2009 season of the Nigeria Premier League.
However, he was sacked on August 5, 2009, for failing to reach the club’s targets for the season.
In 2017, Chukwu was appointed Ranger’s General Manager and Chief Executive Officer by the immediate past Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
Chukwu, who is a prominent figure in Nigerian football, was awarded with a recipient of the national honour of the Member of the Federal Republic MFR.
While he was rumoured to be dead in 2021 he was later denied the it during his 70th birthday celebration on January 4, 2021, he was survived by wife, Lilian, and four children
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