Victor Osimhen: ‘The new Drogba’ of world football
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Osimhen has considered Drogba – the legend who scored 164 goals and won 14 titles, including the first Champions League silver cup in Chelsea history – as his idol for a long time. But even that admiration stems from a different fate…
Victor Osimhen is one of the most prominent names in soccer at this time. For those who don’t often follow Italian football, they most likely know this name through the recent scandal – when he was treated disrespectfully by his own club on social networks. The exchange of words and controversy has lasted for quite a long time; But until now, the defending Serie A champion has not said a single word of apology.
But beyond all that mental fatigue, Osimhen’s existing talent and high potential ceiling are still the most sparkling and brilliant things in the coastal city of Naples. And perhaps Napoli themselves also know who will suffer if both sides go their separate ways in the next winter transfer window.
Both PSG, Chelsea and Manchester United want to sign this heavyweight striker soon. And most recently, 90min reported that the Blues’ owners are “waiting” to see if Osimhen will re-sign his contract with Napoli – to officially make an approach.
That’s exciting news for the True Blues, because it’s been a long time since Diego Costa left, and they’ve longed for a true beast to stand tall in attack. And what’s more, Osimhen considers their legend Didier Drogba as their idol!
Chelsea fans really hope Osimhen can land and bring the performances that once stirred Italy to the foggy land.
“Destroying” Italy
Not long ago, Napoli fans sobbed and cheered when the team in their hearts won their first Serie A championship, after 30 long years. That is also the third National Championship title in their history. The person who contributed greatly to that success, or more precisely, the driving force that motivated the coastal army to capture the throne was Osimhen.
On the day Napoli was crowned, it was Osimhen who scored a valuable 1-1 equalizer in the 52nd minute against Udinese, helping them win the decisive score for the throne. Naples burst into tears, obviously so did Osimhen, but he knew his season had not stopped.
In the next match against Fiorentina, he scored to break legendary George Weah’s decades-old record of the African player scoring the most goals in Serie A. It was a remarkable achievement for a player. just 24 years old.
But he hadn’t even applied the brakes yet. At that time, Osimhen was 4 goals ahead of Lautaro Martinez, who was closest in the top scorer race. And then, as if not satisfied, he scored 3 more goals in the remaining 3 matches to proudly hold the title named after the legendary Paolo Rossi.
Speaking of legends, Osimhen is also truly a young man who knows how to respect his superiors and subordinates; Know how to learn and follow the example of your seniors to contribute to building your own journey. Specifically, after the match against Fiorentina mentioned above, he expressed his gratitude to George Weah for paving the way for African players in Italy: “I would like to celebrate an important milestone with all those who have inspired and supporting me in this journey, especially Mr. Weah.”
In the opposite direction, from the dark continent, former football player Michael Essien “shouted” “Bravoo” with a photo of Osimhen on his personal page. Legendary striker Didier Drogba also admitted to being surprised by the maturity that Osimhen showed last season: “From the streets of Nigeria to the golden pages of world records… Congratulations to your brother and the club.”
Following in the footsteps of “Wild Elephant”
In fact, Drogba’s influence on his junior’s career is greater than those words of encouragement that can easily be mistaken as “social”. It is a very interesting story that needs to be told immediately!
In a report on Napoli’s YouTube channel, Osimhen once said that when he was a child, a strange man appeared from nowhere, saw him practicing on the field, approached and advised: “It’s best.” That you should find and learn videos of Drogba handling the ball.”
“That was a day I can’t forget. I was practicing and suddenly this man came up and asked if I knew who I played like. He told me to go to YouTube and watch Didier Drogba’s playing style.”
“After that, the more I thought about it, the more I liked his playing style and his personality. Exactly from that moment on, watching Drogba play had a big impact on my playing style and helped a lot,” he affirmed.
In the match between Napoli and Ajax in the Champions League last season, Osimhen let his teammates take a penalty instead of shooting himself and improving his personal record. Drogba wrote on Twitter after witnessing this: “That is a comprehensive striker, and comprehensive here includes personality. He is not selfish and understands the meaning of collective victory.” It’s easy to imagine how happy Osimhen was when he read those lines.
Osimhen’s story is a testament to the power of hard work, dedication and talent. From a humble and deprived beginning as a young player in Nigeria (orphaned at the age of 6, destitute from a young age, digging up shoes in landfills to play football), he became one of The biggest names in contemporary football: On the shortlist of 30 candidates for the 2023 Golden Ball title.
Osimhen’s name emerged from the U17 World Cup 2015 finals, where he scored 10 goals in 7 matches, winning the title of top scorer and the Silver Ball of the tournament. Since then, this young star has risen through the ranks, continuously breaking records in many age groups and mesmerizing fans.
However, he still has a long way to go to be on par with the idol he is destined to follow. And it would be great if that journey was in the dark blue shirt of the old hero (instead of disrespecting him like the current blue color!).