Osimhen…from a street newspaper seller to a “global” star with millions

Victor Osimhen used to sell newspapers in the crowded, traffic-choked streets of Lagos, but today he is making headlines thanks to his brilliance as a proficient striker who scored for his country, Nigeria, and his Turkish club, Galatasaray.
As Nigeria prepares to face its Group C rivals, Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda, this December in the first round of the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco, all eyes are on the 26-year-old.
The Malian-French coach of his country’s national team, Eric Schell, said, “He is the greatest striker in the world,” while the “Super Eagles” team seeks to win the fourth title in its history and the first since 2013.
Nigeria is full of attacking talents, most notably the winner of the African Player of the Year award last year, the Italian Atalanta striker Ademola Lookman, who may form a dangerous duo with Osimhen.
Osimhen’s story is similar to the journey of many African footballers, as it is a classic tale of moving from poverty to glory, after overcoming seemingly impossible difficulties to achieve stardom.
Osimhen revealed his childhood struggles through a series of social media posts, hoping it will inspire Nigerians facing similar circumstances.
His first memories of life in Nigeria’s commercial capital are of the dusty streets and the smell of waste emanating from the garbage dump.
“I had to sell newspapers and water bottles to help my family survive,” recalls the star, who will turn 27 on December 29, one day before Nigeria faces Uganda in the third and final round of the group stage.
A stroke of luck changed his life and pushed him on a path that ended with him being crowned the best African player the year before last (2023).
He was a candidate to join his country’s under-17 squad for the 2015 World Cup, but initially failed to impress coach Emmanuel Amuneke and was dropped. However, several assistant coaches objected to the decision and asked Amuneke to give him a second chance.
Amunike, who scored the winning goals when Nigeria beat Zambia 2-1 in the 1994 African Nations final in Tunisia, responded to their request. Given a second chance, Osimhen scored ten goals in seven matches and played a crucial role in Nigeria winning the tournament in Chile.

Thank you, Amuneke
Osimhen has never forgotten the role Amuneke played in launching his career, lavishing praise on him during a speech when he was crowned African Footballer of the Year.
“Special thanks to Emmanuel Amuneke. Without him, I don’t think I would be standing here holding one of the most prestigious awards in international football,” he told the audience in the Moroccan capital, Rabat.
After attracting the attention of scouts in Chile, Osimhen moved to Europe, but his scoring abilities failed him when he joined German club Wolfsburg, as he failed to score in 14 matches and was loaned to Belgian Charleroi, where he regained his scoring sense and scored 12 goals in 25 matches.
Osimhen’s next stop was Lille in neighboring France, where he spent one season averaging a goal every two games.
In 2020, Napoli paid a club record €70 million to sign him, and Osimhen returned the favor by helping the team end a three-decade wait to win the Serie A title in 2023.
Osimhen became a valuable target, and the media linked him with a move to the Saudi League, Chelsea in England, or Paris Saint-Germain in France, but he chose to go to Galatasaray, first on loan and then permanently.
In Türkiye, he maintained his ability to score regularly. Osimhen was also a prominent scorer with the Nigerian national team, scoring 31 goals in 45 international matches since his debut in 2017, including four goals in the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Sao Tome and Principe.
In recent months, he scored a hat-trick against Benin and two goals against Gabon in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
But the “Excellent Eagles” will be among the most notable absentees from next year’s World Cup after losing the African play-off final to the Democratic Republic of the Congo on penalties in Morocco.
Osimhen had to go off injured at halftime of the match against the Congolese, and many Nigerian fans blamed the loss on his absence.
He has been the victim of numerous injuries, so he often wears a protective face mask after suffering a broken cheekbone and eye socket while playing for Napoli.