Victor Osimhen: Dream Come True

Growing up in a tough environment and raised by his father with little support from his brother, Andrew, Victor Osimhen sold sachet water and snacks in Lagos traffic and worked in construction sites carrying mixed concrete on his head near his home to make ends meet. He always loved and knew football was his only way of breaking away from poverty and picked his first pair of soccer boots from a dumpsite. Little wonder, the first statement that came out of his mouth when he was crowned the African Footballer of the Year in Marrakech , Morocco on Monday night was-“It’s a dream come true for me”

Victor Osimhen on Monday night in Marrakech, Morrocco, won the African Footballer of the Year Award,  becoming the next  Nigerian to achieve the feat after  Kanu Nwankwo did in 1994.

The 24-year-old led Napoli to their first domestic title in 33 years and it therefore came as no surprise that the striker beat Egypt’s Mohamed Salah and Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi to the golden ball.

“It’s a dream come true for me,” Osimhen said after he was presented with the award.

“I appreciate Nigerians for their support. I appreciate Africa for putting me on the map, encouraging me and defending me, regardless of my shortcomings.”

Osimhen grew up in poverty in Olusosun, a run-down neighborhood in Nigeria’s commercial capital of Lagos. The pungent smell of the nearby landfill was a constant in the life of the young footballer, whose mother died when he was a young boy. As the youngest child, he was raised by his father and supported by his oldest brother, Andrew, who sold newspapers to help him achieve his dreams of playing football.

His first pair of football boots were picked from the Olusosun dumpsite, and he dreamed of playing among the elite like his idol, the Chelsea and Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba. He sold satchet water and snacks in Lagos traffic and worked as a labourer carrying mixed concrete on his head at construction sites near his home. Poverty toughened him up.

“The place where I came from, nothing is promised,” Osimhen said in a recent interview. “I am so happy about my breakthrough because nobody gave me a chance of making it out of the trenches. Not just me but my whole family. For me to work my way up, I have shown the kids there that when you work hard and you’re focused, anything is possible with God.”

Osimhen’s breakthrough in football did not however materialise until former Nigeria U17 coach, Emmanuel Amuneke, who interestingly was a former African Footballer of the Year winner, gave him the chance to represent Nigeria at the 2015 U17 World Cup in Chile.

An excited Osimhen said in his speech on Monday night, “First of all, I want to say thank you God for everything, Special thanks go to Emmanuel Amuneke. Without him, I don’t think I would be standing in front of you guys holding one of the most prestigious awards in world football. It’s a dream come true for me”

“I think for Victor, probably because of the tough life that he spent when he was young, that helped him,” said Amuneke.

“He’s someone that wanted to succeed. Even when you look at him today with Napoli, he doesn’t like to lose. He always wants to win, one quality that singles Victor out.”

After his U17 exploit in Chile, major European clubs tried to sign him, he and his family opted for Wolfsburg because of  the calm environment and the club’s ability to develop young players. But a series of injuries limited him to 14 Bundesliga games without a goal before he was shipped off on loan to Charleroi in Belgium.

“Wolfsburg condemned him,” his older brother Andrew told DW. “They said he was not fit, that he was not good. But Charleroi gave him that platform.” Former Wolfsburg sporting director Jörg Schmadtke later admitted it was a “poor decision” when Osimhen joined Napoli from Lille for $64.8 million.

It was not until his third season in Naples, that Osimhen hit the peak of his powers to help crown Napoli Serie A champions for the first time since Diego Maradona led them to glory in 1987 and 1990.

“I think he was the most important element of that title challenge,” Kristen Schlewitz, author of the book “More Than Maradona,” told DW. “He has this graceful elegance that contradicts his reputation as a physical player.”

Only Maradona is more revered than Osimhen in the city of Naples. Like the Argentine legend, the young Nigerian’s face adorns murals across the city, where they worship their football stars like gods. Fans stand in front of his home every night singing his name. They hang around restaurants until the early hours for autographs. Their adulation matches his boisterous spirit.

“For a boy from Olusosun, who would have thought I would have my picture beside Maradona’s,” said Osimhen. “It’s like a dream.”

Osimhen became the highest African goalscorer of all time in Serie A following his decisive goal for Napoli against Florentina. The record was previously held by George Weah of Liberia, who, during his spell, scored 46 goals in the league.

The Napoli striker scored on the season’s final day to reach 26 goals for the Serie A season, ensuring he won the Capocannoniere for the 2022/23 season as the league’s top scorer. The first by an African player in the 125-year history.

The 24-year-old also joined Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the only two players to win both the golden boot and the Scudetto in the same season.

After winning the CAF Award, Osimhen returned to action for Napoli the following day, when they welcomed Braga to the Diego Armanado Maradona Stadium a was on the score sheet.

Osimhen’s next focus will be on January’s Africa Cup of Nations in Cote D’Ivoire after missing the last edition in Cameroon through injury.