A former captain and head coach of the Super Eagles, Christian Chukwu, is dead.

The former Enugu Rangers coach died at the age of 74 in the early hours of Saturday in his home state of Enugu.

However, the exact circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear as of the time of filing this report.

His longtime teammate and friend, Dr. Olusegun Odegbami, confirmed the development in a post via his official X handle on Saturday.

Odegbami, who won the 1980 Africa Nation Cup with Chukwu, wrote, “My Chairman has passed on. This morning, ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu, MFR, my bosom friend and teammate, one of the greatest football players in Nigeria’s football history, former captain and coach of Nigeria’s national football team, has passed on.”

The Enugu-born legend also led the Enugu Rangers FC team that won the Africa Cup Winners Cup in 1977.

• Augustine Eguavoen sets conditions for permanent Super Eagles job

Chukwu also served as assistant coach of the first team to win a FIFA World Cup trophy for Nigeria – the Golden Eaglets that triumphed at the FIFA U16 World Cup in China in 1985.

He was also the assistant coach of the team tagged the Golden Generation – the 1994 class of Super Eagles that qualified Nigeria for its first FIFA World Cup finals.

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.

In 2019, Chukwu suffered prostate cancer, which affected his leg, which led the family to open a GoFundMe appeal to solicit funds for the Nigeria football legend’s medical treatment.

Businessman Femi Otedola eventually paid $50,000 for Chukwu’s treatment overseas.