Victor Osimhen of Nigeria receives the Men’s Player of the Year award during the 2023 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards in Marrakesh on December 11, 2023. (Photo by AFP)
Meet the AFCON superstar valued at R2.3 Billion
Nigeria will be pinning their AFCON hopes on Napoli striker Victor Osimhen. Why is the striker so feared and coveted around the globe?
Victor Osimhen of Nigeria receives the Men’s Player of the Year award during the 2023 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards in Marrakesh on December 11, 2023. (Photo by AFP)
Victor Osimhen will carry the hopes of Nigeria at AFCON 2023. Can the Napoli marksman steer the Super Eagles to their first continental glory since 2013?
AFCON: Full last 16 draw, Bafana Bafana face daunting test
OSIMHEN IN A NUTSHELL
20 goals in 28 caps is a superb goal-scoring ratio at international level. Victor Osimhen is no ordinary striker, as he has proved in the past few seasons with Lille in France and now especially with Italian champions Napoli. He fired Diego Maradona’s old team to their first Scudetto in 33 years with 26 goals in the 2022-23 campaign. Those antics earned him the top scorer ‘Capocannoniere’ award in Serie A. No wonder a host of clubs around Europe are willing to pay upwards of €100m for the 25-year-old, who is particularly admired for his powerful, pacy, rangy running of the channels and clinical coldness in front of goal.
REVEALED: Why MaMkhize saw her debt just climb from R37 million to R49 million
WOW: New R46.7m Sundowns star and Man United defender separated at birth?
CAN THE NAPOLI MAN MAKE NIGERIA AFCON KINGS AGAIN?
Victor Osimhen is arguably one of the finest and most well-rounded strikers on the planet right now. Not since Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Nwankwo Kanu or Obafemi Martins have the Super Eagles laid claim to such a feared and predatory forward. The burden on his shoulders is greater now with prolific 23-year-old and red-hot Bayer Leverkusen man Victor Boniface injured. If Nigeria goes all the way in Ivory Coast, they’ll need superstar Osimhen to fire on all cylinders.
The Super Eagles have yet to take full flight in Ivory Coast but remain unbeaten from the group stages and have conceded just one goal in those three games. Osimhen scored in their 1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea and they’ve since snatched 1-0 wins against Guinea-Bissau and hosts Ivory Coast. They face 2017 winners Cameroon in a blockbuster clash on Saturday 27 January for a place in the final eight.
BYE BYE LORCH? Dismal Orlando Pirates stats are so embarrassing
Meanwhile, hit up James Freemantle for more insights, news, views and commentary.
Also, follow The South African on X for up-to-the-minute news updates
