Victor Osimhen: From Ojota slum to Italian limelight

Oladipupo Mojeed Sports 06/10/2021

After a turbulent start to life in Italy, Victor Osimhen has finally started to hit the ground running and show his talent for the Naples.

This article will shed more light about the untold story of the lanky Nigerian football star.

Background

Victor James Osimhen was born on 29th December, 1998 in Lagos, Nigeria. He’s the last of 6 children born to Nigerian parents, his late mother and father, Mr Patrick Osimehn.

Osimhen has previously recounted having a rough childhood as his family could barely afford basic needs. He lost his mother at a very young age and his father lost his job months later. The striker also previously described how they had to stick together as a family to survive tough times.

Osimhen had his primary school education in Olusosun Primary School, Ikeja, Lagos, whose football field served as the meeting points for pupils of the community to play football.

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Rise to stardom

Osimhen started his football career with Ultimate Strikers Academy. In 2014, his performances earned him a spot in Nigeria’s U-17 team, The Golden Eaglets.

Victor Osimhen has finally hit his good form at Napoli after surviving injuries and COVID-19 (image credit: Instagram/VOsimhen9)

Victor was exceptional in the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup held in Chile, scoring 2 great goals on his debut. He then went on to bag the top scorer award with 10 goals at the end of the tournament. He also won the FIFA U-17 World Cup Silver Ball after his performances helped his team to succeed.

Victor caught the eyes of several scouts during the tournament, and finally earned a move to German Bundesliga club, Wolfsburg in 2016.

Battle with Injuries

He signed a three and half years contract with the club and made his Bundesliga debut in May 2017. His stint at the club was however marred with injuries and illnesses which saw him have 0 goal contributions at the club.

Redemption Journey

He moved on to the Belgian side Sporting Charleroi and was brilliant yet again, bagging 20 goals in 36 appearances. After his dominant spell in Belgium, he moved to Lille OSC in July 2019.

The Super Eagles star moved from strength to strength in Lille, helping the French side adjust to the loss of Nicolas Pepe who moved to Arsenal in the summer.

Osimehn bagged 18 goals in 38 appearances, helping Lille to a 4th place finish in the French Ligue 1.

He attracted a lot of interest from Europe’s top clubs. He finally made a move to Napoli, after the Serie A side splashed €80m, making him their record transfer in history.

Life at Napoli

Injuries struck yet again in Victor’s first season with the Naples as he missed 14 games due to a shoulder injury. Shortly after his return, he got infected with the Corona Virus and also had a head injury later that season. He however managed to find the back of the net 10 times in 30 games.

He however started this season brightly and the Serie A side are finally enjoying the fruits of their investment.

The former Lille striker scored 4 goals in 5 games in the league and another 3 in 2 games in the Europa League. He’s helped Napoli to an unbeaten start with 6 wins in 6 games as they sit top of Serie A.