Victor Osimhen clinched the Serie A title with Napoli last season and rounded off 2023 with the title of African Player of the Year. However, the striker believes that winning the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with Nigeria could be the pinnacle of all achievements.
“It would be one of the best moments of my life,” said the 25-year-old to AFP in Abidjan, where the Super Eagles are preparing to face the host Ivory Coast in the second group stage match of this AFCON edition on Thursday.
“I’ve done it with Napoli, made history, but no matter what I do, no matter how many goals I score, when I win the AFCON, I can say I’ve achieved my goals. I’m looking forward to winning something with the Super Eagles,” he admitted.
Naturally, Osimhen is at the center of attention around the Nigerian national team following his exploits with Napoli, scoring 26 goals last season and leading the club to its first Serie A title since 1990.
The eyes of Africa’s most populous country, with over 220 million inhabitants, are on him, but he assures that he can handle the pressure.
“I’ve always had big goals in my life since I grew up, and this pressure is natural. I’m the kind of person who doesn’t give in under pressure. When pressure comes, I think about giving my best and doing the best for myself,” said the player at the Nigerian team’s hotel, overlooking Cocody Bay in Abidjan.
“So far, so good. I’ve been good at my club and for my country, which I consider to be the most important,” said Osimhen, who beat Achraf Hakimi and Mohamed Salah for the African Player of the Year award.
“Winning the African Player of the Year award is the dream of any young African player. For me, winning it shows the kind of things I’ve done, the hard work, sweat, and tears. For me, it’s really a dream come true,” he added, looking relaxed after finishing another interview with Emmanuel Adebayor, the 2008 African Player of the Year from Togo.
Kanu and Okocha as Inspirations
The forward leads a team full of attacking talent, and Osimhen’s goal is to lead the country to its first AFCON title since 2013.
This would allow him to join great Nigerian names like Nwankwo Kanu and Jay-Jay Okocha, the latter being part of the team that won AFCON in 1994.
“I used to talk to Nwankwo Kanu and Jay-Jay Okocha. I think I owe a lot of my success to them because they were a kind of inspiration for me growing up,” said Osimhen, who announced himself as the top scorer of the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
“Being in the same category as them—not that I’m better than them in terms of football, but in terms of what I’ve achieved—I think it’s huge for me,” he emphasized.
Osimhen has just signed a new contract with Napoli, where he insists he is happy and has “a good relationship” with president Aurelio De Laurentiis.
Past Experiences
His previous experiences in the AFCON were frustrating, as he almost didn’t participate when Nigeria—with Odion Ighalo leading the attack—finished third in 2019 and then completely missed the 2022 edition.
“In 2019, when I arrived, Ighalo was there. He is an older brother to me, so it was important for me to go through this learning process with him, to gain this experience,” said Osimhen.
“It was supposed to be in Cameroon, but of course, I had my facial injury. Now I’m here. It’s a dream come true for me. I don’t want to put myself in the spotlight, but of course, a lot of people say that. I think I’m more of a team player. I think we have the necessary quality to make a very good tournament that we can be proud of,” defended the star of the team coached by Portuguese manager José Peseiro.
“The first game was really disappointing. We need to make sure we get it right in the next game, which is against a tougher opponent,” he concluded.
