The recent days after leading Napoli to the Serie A title after 33 years, a feat that was achieved under football larger-than-life hero Diego Maradona, has left Nigeria star striker Victor Osimhen feeling cool and happy with himself.
“It’s been crazy,” he enthused on Twitter. “You can only feel this feeling is you are in Naples, and I love every moment.”
A journalist described the moment thus: “On May 7, 2023, the air was visibly euphoric at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy. Fathers, mothers, and children supporting the home team cheered loudly throughout their duel with Fiorentina, hailing every kick, pass, and clearance from their players.
“Truth be told, the home support could be scarcely concerned with the result of that game as much as they were invested in creating a celebratory atmosphere ahead of full-time. Just three days earlier, Napoli had secured the Serie A title following a terse 1-1 draw away to Udinese. On that Sunday evening at the Maradona Stadium, Napoli just wanted to party with its new heroes.
“The laudatory aspirations of the Partenopei faithful were kicked off with a slender 1-0 win, secured courtesy of a late Victor Osimhen penalty. At the end of the game, as the league-winning players were introduced to the stadium individually, some of the loudest cheers were reserved for Osimhen.
“It has not been a strange sight this season to see home fans feverishly chanting the name of the 24-year-old Nigerian striker. Against the backdrop of a historic title charge that has resulted in Napoli’s first Scudetto in 33 years, Osimhen has typified the Southern Italy club’s ethos of bravery, character, and fearlessness.
“Operating as one of Napoli’s principal attacking outlets, Osimhen has battled and harried his way to the top of the goalscorers’ chart in Italy this season. In doing so, he dragged Napoli to its first Serie A title since the glory days of the irrepressible Diego Maradona. True to the Neapolitan tradition of deifying its most popular spotting icons, Osimhen has become an object of public adoration, forever writing his name into Naples’ history.”
Naples homes and public spaces are adorned with giant figures of Osimhen made out of paper, plastic, and whatever could hold. The young and the old, men and women carry with them miniature replicas of Osimhen. Cakes and pastries are decorated with Osimhen’s now famous face protector and an enormous effigy of Osimhen becomes commonplace in the nooks and crannies of the city. It is indeed a sight to behold.
HUMBLED
In all these, the 24-year-old Nigerian is humbled and euphoric at the same time.
Shortly before Napoli was crowned king of Italian football, when he broke yet another Serie A record, he wrote on Twitter his appreciation: “While growing up, I have always admired the great achievements of so many African legends and His Excellency Mr. George Weah is one of them, an icon in the world of football and also a leader to his people. Someone who has motivated and inspired millions of young talents alike. It was a great honor breaking his record as the top-scoring African player in Serie A history, an achievement i will forever cherish, Mr. George Weah has set a foundation of excellence for individuals like me to emulate and his legacy will forever be remembered.
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“I celebrate this milestone with everyone who has inspired and supported me in this journey. Thank you for your contributions, God is the greatest.”
Osimhen said he’s a fulfilled player this season.
“When I arrived in Naples, I set some goals for myself. One of them is to win something with this team. If I get the top scorer award as well, so much better, but what really matters is achieving something important with my teammates. Whatever individual honour that I achieved this season is a plus, the overall achievement of the team comes ahead of them all.”
He said his goals were only made possible because of the other players.
“We’re a great close-knit group and we know how to scrap too. In every game, we played for ourselves and that is why we have come out victorious. I’m a happy man. I have achieved my goals for the season in Napoli.”
HUMBLE BEGINNING
The striker, who grew up in the Olusosun area of Lagos, has often recounted how life got tough following the death of his mother and his father losing his job.
“I really hustled on the streets of Lagos and toyed with the idea of doing so many things initially,” Osimhen told CAFOnline in 2015. As a kid, he sold sachet water in Lagos’ notorious traffic gridlocks and maintained an interest in music while admiring Nigerian rapper, Olamide.
Osimhen got his earliest football education playing pick-up games on the streets of Lagos, where he honed the intense and improvisational style that has made him one of the best strikers in world football. He also picked up some skills from his brother who was a striker on a local team.
With Drogba as an icon and his brother mentoring him, Victor joined the Ultimate Strikers Academy in Lagos where he started to attract the interest of local scouts and recruiters.
Osimhen entered national consciousness as a part of the 2015 Nigerian U-17 team coached by Nigerian football legend, Emmanuel Amuneke. Selected from a group of over 3,000 players, Osimhen justified Amuneke’s faith in him by leading Nigeria to the semi-finals of the African Cup of Nations U-17 competition. He also finished as the top scorer in that competition with four goals.
More success was on the horizon for the striker at the U-17 World Cup scheduled to be held in Chile later in 2015. Taking advantage of the presence of scouts from across the world and the global profile of the World Cup, Osimhen led Nigeria to the title. He also scored 10 goals on the way to the title, setting a new record for the highest number of goals scored at the U-17 World Cup finals.
NEXT MOVE
Osimhen’s next move is not specific yet and he has kept mute about it sparkling speculations around his transfer.
This week, the gangling striker was spotted in Berlin-Germany, igniting rumours that the Napoli star could leave for Bayern Munich in the summer.
With 23 goals in 30 league appearances, he is no doubt a bride of the big teams of Europe, especially Bayern which is having problems in attack this season.
Osimhen has now proven himself to be one of the premier strikers in Europe and clubs across the continent are interested in picking him up this summer, but Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis won’t let him leave for cheap.
As reported by Bild, Osimhen was seen in the streets of Berlin this morning, sparking rumours that he could be sold to Bayern Munich in the upcoming summer transfer window.
The real reason for the 24-year-old’s trip is not known yet, but it could simply be a case of family matters. His partner Stephanie was born and raised in Wolfsburg, so the pair may just be paying a brief visit to her home country.
Bild’s Head of Football Christian Falk suggests that there are no talks between Napoli and Bayern regarding Osimhen, with the Bundesliga giants believing that he’s too expensive.