The FIFA U-17 World Cup is a tournament that has given birth to some of the greatest football talents in history, and Victor Osimhen’s performance in the 2015 edition in Chile was nothing short of phenomenal.
The Napoli striker, who was 16 years old at the time, donned the number 9 jersey for Nigeria, scoring 10 of the Golden Eaglets’ 23 goals in the tournament, eventually helping them win the title.
Osimhen started his career in Nigeria with the Ultimate Strikers Academy, a youth team that has produced some of the finest footballers in the country, and was subsequently invited to join the squad for the U-17 World Cup.
The young striker announced his arrival on the world stage in the opening game of the tournament, scoring Nigeria’s second goal in a 2-0 win over the United States. He went on to score three more goals in the group stage, including a brace against Chile, as Nigeria finished top of their group with six points.
Nigeria faced Australia in the Round of 16, and Osimhen continued his impressive form, bagging a hat-trick in a 6-0 win. He then scored another goal in the quarter-finals against Brazil, helping Nigeria to a 3-0 win over one of the tournament favorites. In the semi-final, the Eaglets overcame Mexico 4-2, and the lanky-looking forward scored his 9th goal of the tournament, helping the West Africans book a place in the final.
The final was an all-African affair with Nigeria facing regional rivals Mali, and Osimhen opened the scoring with a brilliant header in the second half for his 10th goal of the tournament, helping Nigeria win their fifth U-17 World Cup.
Osimhen’s performances earned him the Golden Boot as the top scorer, as well as the Silver Ball for the second-best player of the tournament. His goalscoring exploits also caught the attention of some of Europe’s biggest clubs. Eventually, he signed for Wolfsburg but was loaned out to Belgian side Charleroi in 2018 before subsequently joining French Ligue 1 team Lille in 2019.
Osimhen later secured a big move to Italian side Napoli in July 2020, for an African transfer record fee, and has since continued to impress at club level and for the Nigerian national team since he earned his first call-up to the senior team, the Super Eagles, in 2017.
