Former Ghana international Asamoah Gyan has debunked claims he accused Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen of faking an injury to avoid Nigeria’s World Cup qualifier against South Africa in Bloemfontein, Afrosport reports.
Osimhen sustained an ankle sprain during Nigeria’s 1–0 victory over Rwanda at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo last Saturday. The striker went down after being fouled just outside the box, with the Super Eagles medical team initially ruling it as a “shin injury.”
Shortly afterwards, several media outlets circulated an unverified quote attributed to Gyan, suggesting the Black Stars legend had accused Osimhen of feigning an injury.
The quote claimed the 39-year-old said the Nigerian had an understanding with Galatasaray to not fully commit to the Super Eagles so he could prioritise their Turkish Super Lig clash with Eyupspor as well as their Champions League opener against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Gyan initially dismissed the claims as fake news and in a more recent post on X, the former Sunderland striker made it clear he never made such comments and wished Osimhen a speedy recovery.
He wrote: “Fabricated quotes attributed to me about Victor Osimhen has gone viral on social media. It’s important to set the record straight: I never granted any interview about Nigeria. The last AFCON game v Cameroon was the last time I spoke about Osimhen’s talent. Don’t spread FAKE news.
“I had a great chat with my brother @VictorOsimhen9 on the phone earlier today. Once again, I wish you a full and speedy recovery.”
Fabricated quotes attributed to me about Victor Osimhen has gone viral on social media. It’s important to set the record straight: I never granted any interview about Nigeria. The last AFCON game v Cameroon was the last time I spoke about Osimhen’s talent. Don’t spread FAKE news.
— ASAMOAH GYAN (@ASAMOAH_GYAN3) September 14, 2025
Osimhen missed Galatasaray’s league clash with Eyupspor on Saturday, after the Turkish club confirmed the 26-year-old had suffered an ankle ligament injury. Although he has since begun treatment, a timeline for his return was not revealed by the Turkish champions.
