In Europe’s top five leagues, Victor Osimhen is one of the main reasons why Napoli is the fittest team with dominance at national and continental level. Combining perfectly with Georgian Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, the Nigerian striker has 18 goals. That’s five times better than second-place Lautaro Martinez at Inter Milan. However, the most impressive thing is that Osimhen has done it in four games less than the Argentine.
The reward for Napoli is a 15-point lead over Martinez and Inter Milan in the race for the Scudetto. In Europe, Osimhen and Napoli swept their Champions League group that featured Liverpool and Ajax. The only miss in that group was a loss at Anfield, 2-0. In the European game, Osimhen increased his tally with a goal against Ajax. However, he missed half of those games through injury or as a substitute.
The Nigerian’s rise has seen experts and coaches name him among the best strikers in the world, not just Italy. This is how he went from the Belgian Pro League to the leader of Serie A in just five years.
The beginnings of Osimhen
Victor Osimhen first made headlines with a magical performance at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup. The Ultimate Strikers Academy phenom won the Golden Boot when he scored ten goals and provided two assists in seven games. Nigeria defeated the likes of Croatia, the United States and the mighty Brazil to win the tournament. Success in the Under-17 World Cup earned Osimhen a contract with Wolfsburg. He started training with the first team soon after.
He didn’t see much playing time with Wolfsburg as they battled relegation scares to stay afloat. In two years with the Germans, Osimhen played 15 games in total and scored no goals. He went on loan to Belgian RSC Charleroi, where he racked up many minutes and goals. His 12 goals and 3 assists in 25 games led them to an eighth-place finish in the league. That outing also attracted suitors across Europe.
“My confidence level [at Wolfsburg] it was very low at one point, and what made me go on loan to Charleroi is inexplicable,” Osimhen told BBC Sport while playing in the Jupiler Pro League. “Football in Belgium has helped me, I also have a wonderful group of players around me and the coaching staff have been fantastic to me.”
After making the loan permanent in 2019, Osimhen packed his bags for LOSC Lille in a $24m move, which was more than three times as profitable as Charleroi’s previous record departure.
“Lille is a very good club that has a high-quality project and attracts players with a lot of class, even more than ever in recent years,” Osimhen said after replacing Rafael Leao from Milan. “I am very happy to be here and to join this great club called Lille. I’m still very young, I’m learning and I think this project is perfect for me to continue progressing”.
Osimhen made an immediate impact after stepping foot on the Stade Pierre Mauroy. he scored four goals in his first three Ligue 1 games. Despite the club’s mediocrity on the big stage with five losses in six Champions League games, Osimhen was a breath of fresh air. He finished the season with thirteen goals, fourth in Ligue 1. His performances, like Leao’s in the previous season, earned him a place in Serie A.
A dream made in Naples
After beating Manchester United and Chelsea in the race for Osimhen, Napoli have put Osimhen to great use. Every season, the striker improves. His debut campaign brought a decent 10-goal performance in 2020/21. Then he took 13 in 2021/22. This season, he outplayed those who still had plenty of games to play. After 19 games, he has 18 goals and three assists. That’s good for a contribution of more than one goal per game in Serie A. He has been key in his three years at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. He leads Napoli’s missions to challenge European action with one of the best front lines in Europe.
Despite the status of stars like Lorenzo Insigne and Dries Mertens in the squad, Osimhen was the one Napoli turned to for goals, and for good reason.
“Osimhen is a great striker. I am in awe of the potential he has and excited to see what he will do in the future,” manager Luciano Spalletti told DAZN after their 5-1 win over Juventus. “There were these two or three balls on the touchline and he has the pace, the skill, the grit and the physicality to deal with those situations. After all, he did get hit in the face a couple of times because he goes for every ball. He still has remarkable room for improvement.”
His highlights include a Europa League double against Leicester, a hat-trick in Napoli’s win over Sassuolo and his two goals and assist in a 5-1 win.
Explaining Victor Osimhen’s Mastery
Osimhen is not a dangerous dribbler like Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. He is not an intrusive, space-creating winger like Matteo Politano.
Rather, Osimhen’s main job is to lurk in the box and look for opportunities within the box. It fits; he can score with both feet and with his head. He can even be a midfielder inside the area.
Wherever Osimhen has played he has had good playmakers behind him, so he doesn’t dribble or drop deep to get the ball. But we know that his ability to make the right pass and create chances is there.
His frame is large at 6’1 and 165 pounds. Visually alone, he towers over defenders, so it’s only natural that Luciano Spalletti would use Osimhen as a traditional number 9. Osimhen is dynamic, always on the move, and while his main priority is to make line-breaking runs past the last man, he often breaks the line. he loose to join attacks facing the wings or deviates to create space.
That move is the reason he has a total of 80 shots in Serie A, 32 of which are on target. His current tally puts him on course for a sensational, and potentially record-breaking, 36 league goals by the end of the campaign. It helps that Osimhen is clinical, athletic, confident and smart with his positioning. That’s a combination only a few top-tier forwards have.
Osimhen’s profile resembles that of Erling Haaland, Harry Kane or Dusan Vlahovic. All three are big, beefy and fierce forwards who lead some of the most famous teams in Europe. The similarities mean it’s no surprise that the likes of United, Liverpool and Chelsea are going after the Nigerian attacker. Despite his skill and his obvious goal-scoring ability, Osimhen likely won’t leave Napoli for a while. His contract expires in two years, but he is at the center of something special in southern Italy.
Osimhen’s future
It seems that Napoli will go with the Scudetto. FiveThirtyEight estimates your odds of winning at 97%, by far the best among Europe’s major leagues. Napoli have one of their best chances of winning a continental trophy since the Maradona days. With an exciting young core to build around, the Naples faithful will enjoy a dominating period already taking place.
As for Osimhen, he is as elated as the Napoli fans to be part of such a thriving fan base. “Not even 100%, 1,001% percent. I am in one of the biggest clubs in Europe, one of the best leagues in Europe,” he told Nigerian outlet OmaSports about whether he wanted to stay or not. “This is the life I want to live.”
PHOTO: IMAGO / Antonio Balasco
