Victor Osimhen is among world football's most in-form players right now given his exploits in this 2022/23 campaign that have quickly thrust him into football stardom. The Nigeria international's goals have endeared him to the Napoli faithful and he is now looking to become a club legend by helping them secure their first Serie A league title in 33 years. Over the years, many African footballers have shown promise, but the striker has illustrated something unlike we've ever seen from a young player from the African continent! In this feature, Soccer Laduma international writer Kamogelo Motecwane takes a look at whether or not the Manchester United-linked hitman indeed has what it takes to emulate the likes of Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto'o.
From Injuries And Malaria To Making History In Italy
When the 24-year-old injured his biceps femoris earlier in this campaign, it seemed that, once again, a season in Osimhen's young career would be marred by a significant spell on the sidelines. Since arriving in Europe in 2017, when Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg signed him, a lot of the striker's promising career has been curtailed by various knocks. His time at the German club was riddled with injuries and so he eventually had to look for loan options, even going as far as trialling with Club Brugge and Zulte Waregem in Belgium. However, an off-season bout with malaria left his body so weak that neither of those clubs decided to take a punt on him. Eventually, Belgian Pro League side Charleroi came along in 2018, signing him on loan before his deal became permanent the following year, and it is with the Zebras where everything changed and a star was born. Now it seems the Napoli talisman has overcome adversity once again in order to take his career to the next level, because ever since returning from his knock earlier this campaign, the striker has been on the tear, both in Italy as well as in Europe. The Nigeria international returned to action when he came off the bench against Ajax in their UEFA Champions League group stage to find the back of the net, and has not looked back. Four days later, he scored against Bologna in the league and has scored in 12 of the 15 games he has played under Luciano Spalletti ever since. His most recent strike against Empoli saw the forward become the first player since Cristiano Ronaldo during the 2019/20 season to score in eight successive league fixtures. That 28th-minute strike was also his 21st goal of the season, making it his best-ever scoring campaign despite having played 25 games. It is this form, as well as his dovetailing with Georgia star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, that sees Napoli sit atop of the Serie A standings with a remarkable 15-point lead. Gli Azzurri are currently on pace to break Juventus' record of 102 points in a season from 2013/14 thanks to the African superstar, with Spalletti's men currently on 65 points after 25 matches.
Carrying The Torch
Lifting the Scudetto will likely bring Osimhen a lot of acclaim from the football fraternity, especially from those in southern Europe, but on the African continent he is yet to make an impact. During the 2021/22 season, the Nigerian missed his country's Africa Cup of Nations campaign due to a cheekbone fracture and had to watch as his teammates crashed out of the competition's round of 16 stage. Arguably the greatest African footballer of all-time, Samuel Eto'o, already at the age of 24 was a three-time winner of the CAF African Footballer of the Year prize, a two-time AFCON winner as well as an Olympic gold medallist with his country. The Nigerian international will know that if he aspires to be one of the greatest the continent has ever seen, he will have to prove it on the continent as well. With the likes of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Riyad Mahrez having considerably underwhelming seasons by their standards, it almost seems destined that Osimhen will win his first CAF African Player of the Year award in 2023 and will become the first Nigerian since Nwankwo Kanu in 1999 to win the continent's biggest individual prize. He will have to wait another year before he can represent his country at a major tournament for the first time as the main man, though, with the next AFCON set to take place in the Ivory Coast at the beginning of 2024. It's been a decade since Nigeria last won the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, a tournament in which Emmanuel Emenike was the Golden Boot winner with just four goals. The Super Eagles spread the scoring on their way to holding African football's biggest prize aloft, and it's no wonder – they haven't had a talismanic striker in decades.The likes of Yakubu, Obafemi Martins, and more recently Odion Ighalo have done well at times, but none of them were truly prolific. Osimhen, however, looks to be changing all that. Just 23 games into his international career and his 15 strikes for the national team see him sitting in sixth position of Nigeria's all-time top goalscorers ranking. Come the African showpiece in west Africa and Osimhen will likely be looking to put an end to his nation's wait for a fourth African title.
Osimhen's Playing Style
If you have never seen Osimhen play, the young star is an athletic, modern and strong striker who has an eye for goal, is direct, and is good with his hold-up and link-up play. He frequently looks to attack and create spaces, can receive the ball well with his back to the goal, has a good first touch, and often times his runs perfectly. At a height of 186cm, while he may seem lanky and unassuming, Osimhen is actually a really good presser, useful in pinning back defenders and intercepting passes in the opponent's third. His pace is one of the deadliest parts of his game, especially in transitions as it allows him to get ahead of his opponents. In short, he is a modern No. 9. While his passing in the final third may need some improving, he is as well-rounded a striker a top team could want. Osimhen could perhaps be the greatest attacking threat to hail from the African continent since Eto'o. His aggression and relentlessness make him a tireless worker not just in attack, but also in the first line of defence. He is adept at scoring all types of goals, as well as occupying the necessary spaces for his co-stars to shine and also find the back of the net. While likening him to his West African counterpart Eto'o, he still has a lot to do if he is to emulate the likes of the former Barcelona and Inter Milan man, mainly winning a major tournament with his native Nigeria. Osimhen is quickly establishing a cult-hero status at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona and appears unlikely to leave the club at the end of this season, especially if he helps them win their first league title in over three decades, but whether or not he stays at the side, what is certain is that the forward has tremendous potential to be African football's next great.
