By Ghanaman
Super Eagles striker, Victor Oshimen has recounted his early beginnings in life and how he weathered the storm to get to this point.
The best player from the African continent according to CAF stated in an interview with popular Sports Journalist, Tobi Adepoju, he didn’t know at the time he would become this successful in the sport because he almost gave up at some point:
“I started in Olusosun, just normal street football. Just like every other Ojota-Olusosun street boy.
I think for me, it’s just something that I love doing the most, something i love participating with my friends.
I never knew I could take football so serious and making a name for myself and for my family.
The hardship at the time made me leave football for almost 3 years. When I was in Olusosun, I was doing a lot of jobs. Doing some menial jobs, doing conductor jobs, selling pure water, oranges and all”.
The 25-year old Nigerian marksman who plunderer 26 league goals last season as his Napoli side defied the odds to clinch their first Scudetto in 33 years recalled once again to Tobi, how his landlord’s son came to his rescue and motivated him to retrace his steps back to football:
“But I remember one time when I returned from work and my landlord’s oldest son called me and spoke to me about going back to football. I remember him telling me he’ll be getting me food, while I should be playing football and not think about anything else”.
Osimhen, currently Africa’s most expensive player following his record-breaking $96 million move from Lille to Napoli in the summer of 2020, further revealed how glad he is at the moment with his life, which in no small measure was down to the generosity of his landlord’s son:
“Anytime I come back in the afternoon, he’ll get me food, same thing in the evenings too. I only eat in the house in the morning.
He was really one of the few people that pushed me to actualize my dreams, to achieve my dreams because he saw that potential in me and he pushed me a lot and I’m really happy that this turned out well”.
With 21 goals to his name in 29 appearances for Nigeria, Victor Osimhen played a starring role as the Super Eagles pipped Afcon hosts Ivory Coast 1-0 last Thursday.
The 3-time African champions will execute their final Group A match against The African Wild Dogs of Guinea-Bissau on Monday, 22nd January by 5pm (GMT) at The Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan.
Nigeria go into tomorrow’s game, 2nd in Group A with 4 points from its first two matches and will guarantee passage into the round of 16 needing just a point.
