Victor Osimhen is one of the top strikers in Europe at the moment. Just two years after his explosive transfer from Lille to Napoli for €75 million, the Nigerian forward is currently at the peak of his career. However, his path to worldwide success was not easy. Victor grew up in Lagos, the largest city in Nigeria, but lost his mother at a very young age. When his father lost his job, Victor and his five siblings were forced to hit the streets in search of means of survival.
As a child, Osimhen idolized Didier Drogba, and in his teenage years, his most frequently worn jersey was Chelsea’s, with Drogba’s name on the back. He sold bottled water at traffic lights in the city to help his family in any way he could.
When his mother died, Osimhen was too young to remember exactly when it happened.
In an attempt to save money for his education, Victor often went without new clothes and searched for them in the middle of Africa’s largest dumpsite.
“My friends and I would go there on Fridays and Saturdays to search for shoes. We would search all day. It was fun for us! But when I think back on that time now, I realize that it was actually very difficult for us.”
Despite the challenges he faced, Osimhen persevered and developed his character along the way.
In 2015, at the age of just 15, Victor Osimhen was invited by former Barcelona player Emmanuel Amunike to train with the Nigerian U-17 national team. Even then, Osimhen showed impressive physical attributes and speed, which is why Amunike wasn’t afraid to pit him against boys who were a year or two older than him.
After helping his country qualify for the U-17 World Cup, Osimhen became one of the leaders of the team at the tournament in Chile. The “Super Eagles” won the tournament, and Osimhen became the top scorer with ten goals, earning the “Golden Boot” award.
The striker also won the “Silver Ball” as the second-best player of the tournament. His teammate Kelechi Nwakali, who had been an Arsenal player for three years but never played a match for them, became the number one player in Chile and now plays in the Segunda division.
Even then, Arsenal, Manchester City, and Tottenham showed interest in Victor, but the talented player chose to go to Germany and wear the Wolfsburg jersey because of the academy’s partnership with the “Wolves”.
However, there was another reason – he admits that he chose the best financial offer. Not out of greed, but because he desperately wanted to help his family as quickly as possible.
“When I signed with Wolfsburg, I didn’t want to buy anything for myself with the money. I immediately bought a house for my father in Lagos,” explains Victor. “Then I gave money to my brothers and sisters, and they all have their own businesses and are doing very well now. I’m happy that each of them has something to eat. They have always helped me, and it’s normal for me to want to help them change their lives.”
In Germany, the striker did not stay long and only played 16 games for Wolfsburg’s first team. Several injuries and a bout with malaria prevented him from showing his potential in the Bundesliga. He was initially loaned to Belgian club Charleroi and then sold to Belgium.
This is the transfer that gave Osimhen wings, and within his first season in Belgium, he scored 20 goals in 36 matches. Charleroi paid only 3.5 million euros for him and a year later sold him to Lille for 22.4 million euros as a replacement for Nicolas Pepe, who left for Arsenal for 80 million euros.
In every new team, Osimhen gets better and better. In his debut, he scored two goals in a 2-1 victory over Nantes, and also scored against his favorite team, Chelsea, in the Champions League. In his first season with “the dogs,” he finished as the team’s top scorer with 18 goals in all competitions.
After only one season in France, Napoli decided they had seen enough and it was time to bring him in. “The Blues” paid 75 million euros for him, making Osimhen the most expensive African footballer in history.
Didier Drogba should be proud of him…
Victor couldn’t fully enjoy the deal. A few months before the transfer, the striker lost his father, Patrick. So neither of his parents lived to see his son’s grand success, who went from Africa’s biggest landfill to conquer European football.
But he knows they are watching him from above. “I am sure my mother and father are proud,” Osimhen wrote at his transfer to Napoli. And he has reason to be proud.
