Where there is Victor Osimhen for Nigeria, there is hope.
The 27-year-old striker and his Nigeria team-mates face hosts Morocco in the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday, with five wins from five games so far.
Osimhen is joint second in the tournament’s top scorers list with four goals, level with Liverpool and Egypt’s Mohamed Salah and one behind Morocco’s Brahim Diaz.
But the tournament has not been plain sailing for Galatasaray striker Osimhen or the Super Eagles, with a high-profile on-field argument threatening to overshadow their impressive displays.
His spat with Ademola Lookman during the 4-0 last-16 win over Mozambique attracted plenty of headlines, with reports – which Nigeria have denied – even suggesting Osimhen had threatened to quit the camp.
Osimhen confronted Lookman over his failure to pass the ball to him in a clear goal-scoring position and then signalled to manager Eric Chelle to replace him, which he duly did. Osimhen went straight down the tunnel at full-time, not taking part in the on-field celebrations.
The storm has since died down, with players – including Osimhen himself – and Chelle insisting any internal conflict had been squashed soon after the final whistle.
But people who know him best insist Osimhen would not be the same striker without that will to win and say any accusations of selfishness towards the striker could not be further from the truth.
With two goals needed to level the late Rashidi Yekini as Nigeria’s record goal scorer with 37, Osimhen is on the brink of cementing his place in Nigerian football folklore.
He said: “It doesn’t matter if I equal the record or I surpass it. I think Mr Rashidi Yekini is the best striker the Super Eagles have ever produced.
“I’m just doing my best. Of course, it’s amazing to be part of the history of the Super Eagles.
“So I’m just trying to win something important for my country. And I think with the help of my team-mates, I’m on that path.”
‘He’s had a tough upbringing’
Born in Lagos, the early years of the Galatasaray striker’s life were unimaginably difficult.
The death of his parents meant he would sell water in traffic as a child, while having to fend for himself, his brother and his sister.
Former Nigeria defender William Troost-Ekong, who was once Osimhen’s captain, explained the impact of the striker’s childhood on his competitiveness.
“He’s had a tough upbringing,” he told BBC World Service.
“He had to fend for himself for his brother and his sister. Unfortunately, he lost his parents quite young. So he’s got this real hunger and hustle.
“He’s the first in the box. He wants to score everything. Even when we walk around the hotel, he’s the first at the buffet at dinner. He’ll be elbowing his way in there as well.
“He’s fantastic to have. I feel like you want that spirit in the team. That makes him a real leader and something that, for our generation and the generation of players that are now to come, can learn a lot from.
“I think that makes him also the superstar that he is.”
‘They see him as a leader’
The brilliant Yekini scored 37 goals in 58 games for his country, whereas Osimhen sits on 35 in 50 games.
If Osimhen goes on to break Yekini’s record at this Africa Cup of Nations, then Nigeria may well go on to lift their fourth continental crown as they bid to atone for not qualifying for this summer’s World Cup.
But Troost-Ekong believes the first thing on Osimhen’s mind is winning his first Africa Cup of Nations.
He said: “All of us would love to be etched into history.
“Yekini is so legendary. I’m looking forward to seeing Victor surpass that, but I think it also sums up how he is as a person to make sure that he hit the respect he’s kept for Yekini.
“So yes, I think he’s got many more goals to come and I think he’ll probably be the next one to chase for the next generation.”
With the record in touching distance, Nigerian football journalist Oluwashina Okeleji described Osimhen as the “new king of Nigerian football”.
Okeleji said: “He has been earmarked for that success since he was playing in the under-17s.
“Within the squad now, he’s regarded as undoubtedly the biggest star and people look up to him. That’s why when he’s not there, Nigeria seems to crumble.
“He may not wear the armband, but they see him as a leader – everything goes through him.”
Osimhen scored the goal that secured Napoli’s first Serie A crown in 33 years
A title-winning club career
Wherever Osimhen is playing his football, goals follow and that has been evident throughout his club career.
Osimhen first made himself known across Europe in the 2019-20 season, when he scored 18 times in all competitions for Ligue 1 side Lille before securing a transfer to Napoli for a club record fee.
Italy was where Osimhen’s career really took off as he became one of the world’s most feared strikers.
His 26 goals in 2022-23 put him in the Napoli history books as they lifted their first Scudetto in 33 years. In doing so, Osimhen overtook George Weah as the highest-scoring African in Serie A with 47 goals.
The end of the Nigerian’s time in Naples came in the summer of 2023, with a move to the Premier League on the cards, but Turkish side Galatasaray secured the formidable striker’s signature.
Initially on loan, Osimhen netted 26 times in 30 games to finish as the league’s top scorer as Galatasaray won the league and cup double.
Now a permanent player for the Turkish champions, Osimhen is once again in fine scoring form. He has struck six times this term in 12 games and continues to be one of football’s most feared forwards.
