Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen was recently signed up by Italian side, Napoli and in the process became the 35th Nigerian player to ply his trade in the Italian Serie A.
He joined the likes of Taribo West, Sunday Oliseh, Obafemi Martins, Ogenyi Onazi, amongst others who had played for different clubs at different times in the league.
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His move which elicited joy was hailed by the world football governing body, FIFA, the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and fans across the globe.
Osimhen a Lagos breed began his career with Ultimate Strikers Academy in Lagos before he moved to Wolfsburg based on his successful performance at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Before his move to Europe, Osimhen didn’t have it all smooth in life as he lost his mother at a young age with his siblings picking up different street jobs survival just as his whole family lived in one room.
Speaking with France Football, he said it was difficult to believe in the future when their daily life was so bad back then.
“My brother sold sports newspapers, my sister, oranges on the street and I sold bottled water in Lagos in traffic. We had to survive so we stuck together.
“We together all we make at the end of the day and give to our eldest sister for food and other things.
“Part of my life has been a struggle to survive. But that’s all I am today in the end. It’s hard to classify all but each event has created my personality. “
“My dad lost his job just after that. It was the end of the world for us. Where I come from, it’s difficult to believe in the future because daily life is so bad. No-one can help you because the people have nothing.
“I can now give my family everything they want. Since I turned a professional, I’ve been able to give them the life they deserve. It’s the greatest success of my life,” he said.
Osimhen began his journey to stardom when he represented the Nigeria U-17 team at the FIFA World Cup in Chile back in 2015.
In that tournament, Osimhen scored 10 goals to finish as the highest goal scorer as Nigeria won the title.
Following that performances, clubs like Arsenal and other big European sides fought to sign him up but Osimhen chose Wolfsburg where he struggled with injuries and had difficulties adapting.
He joined Belgium side Charleroi on loan and reignited his career with 20 goals in 36 appearances to finish as the Club’s Player of the Season in the 2018/2019 football year.
His successful loan made Charleroi sign him permanently and quickly cashed in on him with €12m plus €3m from Lille.
At Lille, Oismhen continued to shine and scored 18 goals in 38 appearances across all competitions as he won the Club’s Player of the Year.
He was included in Ligue 1’s Team of the Season and won the 2020 Prix Marc-Vivien Foé which is the award for the best African player in Ligue 1.
His performances in the 2019/2020 season again got the attention of big clubs around Europe but Napoli were able to get him on their books.
The news of his move to Napoli filled the airwaves and at a point, there were fears the deal would fall through.
It was however gathered that Osimhen was said not to be keen on the move because he was concerned over racism in Italy. However, a call with Kalidou Koulibaly doused his fears.
While the negotiations dragged on, the Nigerian striker sacked his longtime agent Jean-Gérard Benoit Czajka for allegedly prioritising his interest and not that of the player while negotiating with Napoli.
For the big-money move to Napoli, there have been conflicting reports about how much the player cost the Italian club.
While reports from Italy have the figure as €50 million-plus add-ons, reports from French says the deal is worth £74m as he becomes Africa’s most expensive player.
Speaking with Trust Sport, Mr Garba Lawal described the move as ‘fantastic’ and as a major plus for Nigerian football.
“It is fantastic and a welcome development that Napoli signed him up. He is facing a new challenge which is good for his career. He has to prove his worth again and he should know he is going to meet a lot of quality players there.
“His move has shown that Nigerian players are good enough to play for top club sides across the world,” he said.
In the same vein, Mutiu Adepoju who is popularly called ‘Headmaster’ simply said: “the move is a good one for him career-wise and this will augur well in the long run for the development of Nigerian football.”
Europe-based football agent, Drew Uyi, has described Victor Osimhen’s transfer to Serie A club, Napoli, as a good development for African football, saying it will open doors for other young talents from the continent if it pays off.
Uyi also believes the move will allow the former youngster the opportunity to harness the value of his current status as a world-class star, which he must work hard to sustain.
“It is even good that Osimhen didn’t cede his image rights to Napoli, so, he can exploit it to make most of his personal brand, images and logos.
“He can also get hitch-free endorsements and sponsorship with the help of a seasoned and experienced brand manager. Such persons can help him derive huge financial benefits that can measure up to his salary,” Uyi said.
Former Super Eagles winger, Finidi George said he expects him to adapt to Serie A while comparing him to Cristiano Ronaldo.
“It’s a good move for Victor and every transfer has its own way of negotiations, but I’m happy everything went well for him “If he’s happy then we are all happy for him. Why now? , he can adapt, Ronaldo, for example, shone in Spain before going to Italy and everyone thought he’s going to struggle because of the style of play, but he adapted,” Finidi said.
Expectedly, Osimhen will justify his mega move to Naples and he is almost certain to lit up the league with goals and help return the respect and fear once accorded the Super Eagles in the past.
