Osimhen on the Cusp of History with Napoli

*Spalletti’s men may clinch first title in 33 years tomorrow

Duro Ikhazuagbe 

Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen, is on the cusp of history this weekend. His Italian side Napoli are on the verge of winning their third Scudetto in 33 years. Osimhen is at the driver’s seat of this Naples club chasing history. His contribution of 21 goals out of the total 67 scored  by Luciano Spalletti side, places him at the top of the goals scorers’ chat in this tough Italian league.

However, before this dream of becoming the first Nigerian player to win the Scudetto in Italy, Napoli will have to surmount the obstacle posed by lowly Salernitana and also pray that second-placed Lazio drop points at Inter Milan.

And if that happens on Saturday, Osimhen would have succeeded where the likes of Obafemi Martins, Nwankwo Kanu, Taribo West, Sunday Oliseh and Ogenyi Onazi failed to win the Italian topflight.

Already a cult hero with Naples fans, Osimhen at just 24 years, is on the way to emulating the legendary Diego Armando Maradona whom the Napoli stadium is named after for his achievements while there. Maradona led Napoli to two championships in 1987 and 1990. 

Although still too early to compare the ambitious Nigerian lad with Maradona, Napoli fans who have gone ahead to erect statue to celebrate his feat this season, are seeing him in same class as the maverick Argentine.

If Napoli succeed tomorrow against Salernitana and Lazio are beaten or even pull a draw, they will go 81 points and become the first team to win the title with six matches remaining.

Spalletti is a conservative personality and so expects his wards not to count their chicks before they are hatched, despite the fact that they are within touching distance of the prized silverware.

“I don’t like to celebrate in advance,” he said on Wednesday evening. “If we all do it together there will be twice as much joy,” observed the Italian ahead of the big day tomorrow.

It would be unthinkable for Napoli to blow their 17-point lead at this stage but Spalletti’s caution is understandable given a tough April in which his team managed two wins in six games in all competitions. 

With no other silverware to play for after Napoli were knocked out of the Champions League by AC Milan in the quarterfinals this month, Spalletti can focus on landing the domestic crown, though he will be without injured defender Mario Rui. 

Salernitana have improved dramatically since Paulo Sousa took over from Davide Nicola in mid-February and have pulled well clear of the relegation scrap. They are up to 14th in the table after an eight-game unbeaten run. 

Simone Inzaghi’s Inter have slipped to sixth place after Juventus won an appeal against a 15-point deduction that sent the Turin club back up to third in the standings. 

Only 24 hours stand between Osimhen and this piece of history waiting for this kid whose door to fame was opened after winning the FIFA U17 trophy with the Golden Eaglets in Chile in 2015.