Who Is Victor Osimhen

The player whose dream is to become the African Footballer of the Year is the textbook case of going from zero to hero. From his humble beginnings, he went all the way up to stardom helped only by his talent in handling the ball. From Oregun to Naples, here is the story of Osimhen’s rise to becoming one of the most in-demand footballers from Nigeria.

Humble beginnings

Victor Osimhen was born in a poor family, the youngest of six children, that moved to Lagos from Edo State where they faced financial hardship. Their job wasn’t much easier in the country’s economic capital: as a small child, little Victor was selling sachet water alongside his mother in the scorching Lagos sun to supplement the family’s income. Later, he carried on this task, selling water and other household items in the streets to make ends meet.

He attended Olusosun Primary School, a focal point for youngsters in the area that often played football. One of the most popular players was his brother – young Victor often watched him play after school. Stepping into the field, the youngster’s talent has shown, so much so that Andrew Osimhen abandoned school and started working to support his brother. And it paid off.

As a youth, Victor was spotted by a scout from the Ultimate Strikers Academy and invited to join the team. In 2014, he was invited to join the Golden Eaglets, a team that qualified for the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup, held in Chile, that Nigeria won ahead of nations like Belgium and Mexico. There, he was spotted by talent scouts, and ultimately signed by the German team VfL Wolfsburg that he joined in 2017.

Rise to fame

A player’s value in the field is reflected, among others, by the attention bookmakers dedicate to them. A few years into his professional career, Betway started listing odds tied to his name. No wonder, as his performance was stellar. Betway routinely posted odds of him scoring in his upcoming matches across the Ligue 1 season, a habit only cut short by the shutdown of football across Europe in the first half of the year.

Victor Osimhen has many things to be proud of. After a brief stint with Wolfsburg and a few Bundesliga appearances, he went on loan to Belgian team Charleroi that was so impressed by his performance that it made the move permanent. Not for long, though – at the end of the season, French Ligue 1 team Lille OSC signed him. There, he did great, earning the Player of the Month award from the league and the Player of the Season award from the team, not to mention the Prix Marc-Vivien Foé offered to the best player who represents an African national football team in Ligue 1. He even had the chance to face Chelsea, one of his favourite teams as a child, even scoring his first Champions League goal against them.