The Story of Victor Osimhen: Serie A Top Scorer 22/23, African Ballon d’Or Winner 2023 and Nigeria’s Top Talent

Victor Osimhen came to the spotlight in the 2022/2023 season with Serie A club Napoli, after what can only be described as having a fairy tale year. The 26-year-old, who now plays for Galatasaray on loan from Napoli, proved to the world that he’s a force to reckon with after making history with Napoli and at the CAF awards.

From his humble beginnings in the area of Olusoson, Nigeria, to having face murals in Italy, next to the legendary Diego Maradona, Osimhen’s story is an inspiring one. A story with its ups and downs, but one that started at a really young age.

Awards and Achievements

The first person to spot Victor Osimhen’s talent was Nigeria’s U17 coach, Emmanuel Amuneke, back in 2015 when the country qualified for the FIFA U17 World Cup. At only 16 years old, Victor led Nigeria to their record fifth title win and won the Golden Boot himself.

Fast forward to 2023, and Osimhen’s glory days seemed to be back in full swing. The young player was Napoli’s lethal striker and the top scorer that season. His goal-scoring capabilities also helped crown Napoli as the champions of Serie A in the 22/23 season after 33 years since they last won the trophy. In 1990, Napoli were the champions of Italy thanks to the great Diego Maradona, and that’s why the city of Naples has murals of the legend, which now include Osimhen.

After having a great year with Napoli and showing a stellar performance, Osimhen was nominated as the best African player of the year in 2023. The award, popularly known as African Ballon d’Or, went home with the Nigerian player, after having a tight competition with finalists Mohamed Salah (Liverpool/Egypt) and Achraf Hakimi (PSG/Morocco).

Early Days and Career

However, it hasn’t always been easy for Osimhen as his early days growing up were marked with abject poverty. He grew up in Olusosun, a run-down neighborhood in Lagos, Nigeria, where a pungent smell from a nearby landfill was a constant. He lost his mother at a very young age and was raised by his father and supported by his older brother, Andrew, who sold newspapers so that his younger brother could achieve his dream of playing football.

In fact, Osimhen picked up his first cleats from the Olusosun dumpsite and thus began his journey to become one of the greats like Chelsea and Ivory Coast legend, Didier Drogba, whom he admired. In 2015, Osimhen was the star player for Nigeria’s U17 FIFA World Cup team, which was the beginning of better things to come.

Two years later, Osimhen was signed to Wolfsburg, where he looked to grow his young career. A series of injuries led him to be shipped off to Charleroi in Belgium on loan. In 2019, Lille signed him for €20 million, and he finished as the club’s top scorer before moving to Napoli and now Galatasaray.

Nigeria Football Stars and Their Impact

Victor Osimhen is just one of the many top talents to hail from Nigeria. Jay-Jay Okocha is a memorable name and stars like Mikel John Obi, Nwankwo Kanu, and Rashidi Yekini have made the country proud nationally and internationally.

Because of such great talents, football is quite popular in Nigeria and citizens keenly follow the local Nigeria Premier Football League and other international competitions. All this has led to an interest in something close to sports, betting. Many Nigerians now wager on their favorite football teams hoping to get lucky.

When the seasons are over and fans have to wait a few weeks or months before they resume, other games that pay real money in Nigeria, such as casino games, have come up to keep people entertained. Some games like slots even have football themes that can feel more familiar. Once the football season is back, most fans tend to go back to sports wagering with the occasional casino gaming.

Beyond the increasing interest in football in the country and Nigeria having a voice in the Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup, the greatest impact that Nigerian stars like Victor Osimhen have is they inspire the next generation of players. That they too can make it to the big leagues.