They say he already costs more than 60 million euros.
Victor Osimhen is the main center-forward of Lille and the Nigerian national team. He comes from the Nigerian Lagos, grew up on the streets, worked there along with five older brothers. Osimhen managed to stand out from millions in 2015 at the junior world championship in France. The national team of Nigeria won it, and Osimhen made a splash, hammering 10 goals in 7 matches.
Surprisingly, the best player of the tournament was not given to him – the prize was received by another Nigerian Kelechi Nwakali. Soon after the tournament, he was signed by the Arsenal, but there the Africans did not have a chance and today plays for Huesca.
Osimhen, in 2016 signed for Wolfsburg, where he also did not wait for either playing time or understanding from the coaches. As a result, he had to go to modest Charleroi, where Victor instantly blossomed. In the 2018/19 season, he became the team’s top scorer and stood out in virtually every episode. Osimhen scored 12 goals in 25 matches of the first part of the Belgian championship and then scored 7 more times in 9 playoff games.
Such a vivid game had the effect of an exploding bomb – scouts from all over Europe were closely watching him. He modestly noted that in Belgium, he again became a happy man. And what’s more his “explosion” was also visible in the gambling industry. Supposedly some of the notable casino providers thought about potential sponsorships for Osimhen to further improve his career. People as well, besides, playing online casino games decided to somehow contribute to Victor Osimhen. It was not surprising because he is a very popular and humble guy, always trying to put his country on the international arena. Osimhen was also a notable part of casino games and him playing football was included in the slots game.
When, in the summer, after a short negotiation, the Nigerian moved to Lille, this did not surprise anyone. The rapidly progressing Osimhen fit into the club strategy as well as possible – that’s where they laid out 12 million.
And then, as you probably already know, there were 7 goals with 8 outings in the base in Ligue 1 for Lille and the prize for the best player in the French championship in September.
Osimhen – the classic “ninth number”, plays at the forefront of attacks, puts pressure on the central defenders, and guards every goalkeeper’s mistake.
If Osimhen has the slightest opportunity to break through, he will break through. The distance doesn’t scare him – the Nigerian has a right-handed shot from his right foot, and in Belgium, he scored a couple of goals with blows from outside the penalty area.
Also, due to his long legs, Osimhen runs splendidly at a distance. If an opponent plays with a high line of defense, then for a Nigerian this is a real gift.
When reviewing matches, it sometimes seems that Osimhen is moving slowly, but his opponents can hardly keep up with him anyway. Last season in France, a similar feeling was from the game of Marcus Thuram for the Guingamp – he was not in a hurry either, but he overtook the players in packs and, as a result, earned a transfer to Gladbach.
At the same time, Osimhen has problems with the use of dimensions in someone else’s penalty area – he wins on average about 30% of martial arts. Only an innate sense of goal helps out of the African, which allows him to be on the ball without physical contact with the center-backs. In Nigeria itself, they say that Osimhen resembles Rashidi Yekini in the manner of the game, but if he was like a “bulldozer”, then Victor, rather, a “lawnmower.”
What does Victor need to improve?
First of all, Osimhen needs to work on the game with his back to the goal. Now he is losing too many balls, making the wrong decisions under pressure. The accuracy of his programs is only about 60%, despite the fact that he passes on average 12-15 times per match.
It is also striking that Osimhen, who before this season did not play at the highest level, is used to rushing to the selection alone. In Belgium, this worked, but in France, where the level of defenders is higher.
The habit of punching from 30 meters is also not the best assistant at a high level. Yes, one day you can get there, but more often it simply means the failure of a promising attack.
Forecast for the future
Osimhen is rapidly breaking into the elite of world football. There are rumors that most likely he will join Napoli – a dream for every player. Yes, Victor has a contract until 2024, but sports contractor Luis Campos has already stated that “if Osimhen continues in the same vein, soon the grandees will besiege Lille.”
Victor has a talent for scoring goals from unobvious situations. He creates a lot of chances, he has excellent statistics. Osimhen is a player who will score a couple of tens of goals, bring to the treasury a couple of tens of millions, and leave following the example of another gifted African, Nicolas Pepe.
But for European football in general, everything is much more serious. It’s been a long time since center-forwards with elite potential did not make their debut here, and this season there are two of them at once – Osimhen and Erling Haaland from Dortmund. Their correspondence race for a place in top clubs promises to be very, very exciting.
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