The Rise of Victor Osimhen

Victor Osimhen is the hottest property in the world of football, his outstanding goal-scoring statistics have not gone unnoticed to the eyes of Europe's wealthiest clubs.

In this article, we'll delve into the story of Osimhen's career so far, from his humble early years to his rise as one of the most sought-after strikers in the world.

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Early Years

Victor Osimhen was born and raised in Olusosun, a suburb of Lagos, Nigeria. He grew up in a family of seven, with four brothers and two sisters. Osimhen's childhood was difficult; his parents struggled to make ends meet, and his mother passed away when he was young. As he recalls in a recent interview, Osimhen had to help his family by selling sachet water on the streets of Lagos. 

Despite his difficult upbringing, Osimhen always had a passion for football, and he learned to play the game thanks to his elder brother, Andrew. He quickly showed a natural talent for football, and his brother encouraged him to pursue his dream of becoming a professional player.

In 2014, Osimhen was scouted by the Ultimate Strikers Academy, a football academy in Lagos that was known for producing talented young players. His skills and potential were quickly recognized, and he was offered a scholarship to train with the academy.

At the academy, Osimhen was able to develop his skills and hone his technique. He quickly established himself as one of the academy's top prospects, and his performances attracted the attention of scouts from the Nigerian national team.

In 2015, Osimhen was selected to represent Nigeria at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Chile. He was the top scorer in the tournament, with 10 goals in 7 games, leading Nigeria to their fifth Under-17 World Cup title. His performances at the tournament earned him the Golden Boot and the Silver Ball awards and caught the attention of European clubs.

Following his success at the Under-17 World Cup, The scouts of VFL Wolfsburg were flattered by Osimhen’s talents and invited him to sign a pre-contract with them. He joined the German club in January of 2017 on a three-and-a-half-year deal.

Breakthrough Season

Osimhen arrived at Wolfsburg already injured and was forced to wait longer for his debut. Even after his debut, he failed to make an impact and was also sidelined by a shoulder injury, which ended his season prematurely. On 22nd August 2018, Osimhen joined Belgian club Charleroi on a season-long loan deal, having failed to score in any of his 16 appearances with Wolfsburg.

After a successful spell with the Belgian side, playing 36 games and scoring 20 goals, Charleroi activated their option to acquire Osimhen on a permanent deal following his performances.

In July 2019, Osimhen signed for Lille. He found his heart at Lille, and under Christophe Galtier he enjoyed his football again. Lille used a compact 4-4-2 to suit Osimhen’s strengths.

Osimhen’s exquisite finishing made him stand out in the Ligue 1. The Nigerian finished the season as Lille's top scorer, with 13 goals in 25 Ligue 1 matches, and 18 goals across all competitions. He also opened his Champions League account with a goal in a losing game against Chelsea. His performances earned him the Player of the Year at Lille voted for by fans.

Osimhen joined Napoli in the summer of 2020 from Lille for a €70 million transfer fee becoming the most expensive signing in the club’s history.

Osimhen is undoubtedly the face of Napoli’s domination in Serie A in the 2022/23 season, leading the Partenopei’s to their first Scudetto in 33 years.

Playing Style and Strengths

So, what is it about Osimhen that has the top European teams racing for his signature?

The power and poise of Drogba can be seen in Osimhen's style of play. He possesses the same certain brutality and devastation, with physical robustness to match his pace. 

His acceleration off the mark is quick which helps him find space in transition or inside the box. He is also very agile and nimble, being able to change direction quickly to escape from defenders. Furthermore, he has the strength to be able to hold off defenders and play with his back to goal.

In terms of attacking the box, as a 6-foot-1 centre-forward, there are few better strikers in Italy than Victor Osimhen. He’s an elite attacking threat, having all the tools required to find space and finish in tight spaces. Not coincidentally, all of his goals in this Serie A campaign have originated from inside the 18-yard area.

While he is lethal at finishing with both feet, Osimhen has a dominant aerial presence, as demonstrated by the 2021/2022 season, no one had registered more headed goals than Osimhen (7) despite him playing fewer than 2,000 league minutes.

His anticipation and constant movement in the box allows him to find space to convert from cutbacks or crosses, racking up a lot of shots for his team. In the 2021/2022 season, His goal involvement equates to 0.72 per 90 minutes and his Non-Penalty xG per 90 minutes was 0.48. This puts Osimhen's npxG output at 10.71 which places him higher than 98% of Serie A strikers. This shows the constant goal threat he has been for his team.

On top of his 0.94 goal-per-game ratio in Serie A in the 2022/23 season, the Nigerian international has also served assists to his Napoli teammates, ranking first in Italy’s Serie A for goal contributions with 1.12 goal contribution per 90 minutes. 

In Europe’s top five leagues - only Haaland and Harry Kane have scored more than Osimhen this season as of making this video.

Osimhen’s prolific goal-scoring rate has certainly benefited from Napoli’s attack-minded brand of football, a trait of Luciano Spalletti’s coaching style.