The 2024 summer transfer window ended with one of the biggest headlines on what Victor Osimhen’s fate was going to be after failing to get a move away from Napoli.
It was a window that saw him frozen out of the team without any minutes in pre-season and locked out of the Partenopei squad for the 2024-25 season.
It seemed like Osimhen was not going to see any club football for the entire season, the thought of that was troubling, to say the least, but hope was rekindled for Africa’s reigning best player when he completed a loan move to Galatasaray which was met with much fanfare.
🟡🔴 Galatasary welcomes the King 🥹
Victor Osimhen!!! pic.twitter.com/vHXls4nPHg— AfroSport (@AfroSportTV) September 4, 2024
Osimhen’s arrival into the Super Eagles camp last Thursday, having been named in the squad to face Benin and Rwanda in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, left a lot of unknowns about what his contribution will be in the games. This was someone not match fit after all.
The 25-year-old unsurprisingly started from the bench against Benin in Uyo but what was not surprising was his coming on and scoring six minutes after his introduction to give the Super Eagles a comfortable cushion before Ademola Lookman sealed the deal in the 3-0 win.
Osimhen did not look like he was rusty. He did not look like he had not had any pre-season. What he rather had was fire, zeal and determination burning in him.
💚 One word to describe Victor Osimhen?
KING 👑 #AFCONQ2025 pic.twitter.com/8RPj3PKDrt— AfroSport (@AfroSportTV) September 7, 2024
He had a lot of detractors over his transfer saga with Napoli, with some believing he was selfish and not committed to playing for the club despite helping them to memorable first Serie A title in 33 years.
Napoli turned out to be the ones who were selfish after not allowing Osimhen to leave when clubs showed genuine interest in him but were let down by a €130 million release clause inserted in a contract extension he signed last December.
Osimhen is no doubt a priced asset but the reality is that football is now in an era when clubs cannot spend money as they wish. It is not that the money is not there but they risk falling foul of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules as well as Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) for Premier League clubs.
This means clubs have to spend wisely to avoid being punished with fines, points deductions or expulsion from competitions.
Napoli should have lowered their asking price to allow Osimhen to leave and continue his trade elsewhere having fallen out with them earlier due to a racist post about him on the club’s social media handle along with other issues.
The reality now is that Napoli will have to sell Africa’s reigning Player of the Year for much less next summer. They also get to pay a significant part of his wages while he is on loan at Galatasaray, a place he certainly looks likely to make a mark for himself even if not an environment for his high standards.
It is however reassuring that Osimhen still has what it takes to deliver, even when he is at his lowest. That is the hallmark of greatness that not everyone has.
Napoli opted to replace Osimhen with Romelu Lukaku due to his previous success with manager Antonio Conte while they were at Inter Milan. While Lukaku has more experience and is years ahead of the Nigerian, the Belgian has been a split figure in some of the clubs he has been to, notably Manchester United and Chelsea (in two stints).
There is nothing like this for Osimhen who is loved everywhere he finds himself. Sure he has detractors, which player doesn’t? The love he gets however overpowers any criticism, which channels more positive energy to him.
🇷🇼 Rwanda vs Nigeria 🇳🇬
Tuesday, 2:00PM WAT
🚨 LIVE ON AFROSPORT TV
👉🏾 https://t.co/d0dn1saETx 👈🏽
AFCON 2025 Qualifiers pic.twitter.com/pOlk3BFv3q
— AfroSport (@AfroSportTV) September 9, 2024
It is good that the 2023 Capocannoniere winner made an instant impact on his return to the Super Eagles. It showed that his absence was missed during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in June where Nigeria failed to get a win over South Africa and Benin.
With his presence, there is more energy, chemistry and a positive vibe within the team, much like what was seen at the 2023 AFCON in the Ivory Coast where the Eagles finished as runners-up.
Osimhen now has 16 goals in 13 AFCON qualifying games, which is phenomenal as that is where a chunk of his international goals have come from.
He has a total of 22 goals in just 36 caps for the Super Eagles and it looks ever reassuring that he will overtake the legendary and late Rashidi Yekini (37 goals) as the country’s all-time top scorer.
Nigeria takes on Rwanda in their second 2025 AFCON qualifier on Tuesday in Kigali. It will be a tough game as the Wasps are something of an emerging force in African football. However, the presence of players like Osimhen and 2024 Ballon d’Or nominee Ademola Lookman, is the kind of element the Super Eagles need to end the September international break on a high.
When the players return to their clubs, they will be expected to continue from where they left off on the pitch and in the case of Osimhen, it will be further vindication of what Napoli will miss in him.
After all, 76 goals and 18 assists in 133 competitive appearances, even with multiple injury spells, all in the space of four years, is not something many forwards can boast about.
