Without trying to launder his image or present him as someone that he is not, there is no doubt that Super Eagles of Nigeria and Galatasaray striker, Victor Osimhen, is not a saint. He still has some rough edges. Looking into his background of growing up in Olusosun, a suburb of Ikeja, in Lagos Nigeria, this is to be expected.
Life in any Lagos suburb is brutal, and only the strong survive. This is what most European critics of Osimhen do not understand. Growing up poor in Nigeria, especially in a place like Olusosun, means that you are on your own and that no one cares what happens to you. Everything about you depends on you. Irrespective of your age, you must make adult decisions. So, you either fall in with the petty criminals and gangs in the neighborhood in order to survive, or you develope a self defense mechanism of a tough guy that enables you to get along with them and survive without being their member.
From indications, Osimhen adopted the latter strategy by developing a tough guy persona which enabled him to survive and escape the rough and tumble of poverty and possible early death or prison sentence. Today, he has grown up to become one of the most celebrated footballers in the world. I believe that his grass to grace story deserves more space in the front pages as opposed to criticisms of his attitude on and off the field.
There’s a popular Yoruba folksong in Lagos, with the chorus; _Eko o’ogba gbere,_ this roughly translates, as Lagos is not for the fainthearted. This re-emphasizes the aggressive nature of Lagos life, where the streets take no prisoners. It becomes obvious while listening to Osimhen’s European critics, that they simply do not understand where the striker is coming from, and therefore are unable to process his occasional aggressive outbursts. They compare him with the more refined European footballers, without understanding his upbringing and background in Olusosun, where the creed was survive or die.
Osimhen survived, and for me, that should be the story. Instead, his outburst against his national team manager, misunderstandings with Antonio Conte, his grabbing of a photographer for taking a picture of him while out with friends, steal the headlines. These reports and the negative comments of his former agent Roberto Calenda, deceived many top European clubs into not signing him in the last transfer window.
Teams like Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, and Liverpool, were in need of the services of a top striker, and with Osimhen having voiced his love for the English Premier League, it was expected that one of them would have gone for him. But instead, they went for players less potent than Osimhen in front of goal. It became obvious that the negative campaign against Osimhen by European football pundits and his disgraced former agent may have succeeded. This made Arsenal, Chelsea, United, and Liverpool to feel that he was unsuitable to their needs. But their loss is Galatasaray’s gain. Many people believe that if Osimhen were in the frontline of any of the above English clubs, winning the EPL title would be a foregone conclusion this season.
There is no doubt that Osimhen has a complicated personality. This is understandable, and could be ascribed to his background of having to depend on himself since early childhood. He has been injured on many occasions, where a foul was not even called by the referee, and when he instinctively reacts to protect himself as he has always done, our European friends act as if he has committed an unforgivable offense. A good manager who knows what he wants, and who makes the effort to understand the player would know how to manage and get the best out of Osimhen. One is gladdened to see that Okan Buruk, has proven that he is that manager, and therefore, he deserves our respect.
Since Galatasaray broke the bank to sign him, Osimhen has repayed that trust by doing what he knows best how to do. He has been scoring and creating goals for the team, both in the Turkish League and in the UEFA Champions League. Not only that, he has equally been prolific for his country’s national team, the Super Eagles. As announced recently by the management of Galatasaray, the club is on course to recoup the millions of dollars spent in acquiring his services in record time. The popularity of the player has resulted in surging sales of club merchandise, and money flowing in from success in Europe. Osimhen is equally engaged in television work. It is obvious that being snubbed by English clubs has turned out just fine for both Osimhen and Galatasaray.
The hat-trick he scored against Ajax FC, in Amsterdam recently, not only reinforced his marksmanship, but showcased his versatility in the six yard box, as he tormented Ajax defenders all evening. Despite being rated below some European front men by pundits, Osimhen is allowing his football to do the talking and making his detractors to eat their words. There is some satisfaction to be derived from seeing Osimhen’s name perching prominently atop the highest goal scorers in the UEFA Champions League, after match day 4, with six goals.
By and large, Osimhen is proving his detractors wrong, and the prayer is that he remains healthy and injury free. Nigerians look forward to him leading the Super Eagles to success in the FIFA World Cup playoffs, and hopefully as well, lead Galatasaray to another domestic double and possibly European success.
All hail Victor Osimhen, the great Super Eagle!
