It’s generally more acceptable, albeit still unkind, for fans to mock a player as accomplished as Victor Osimhen for a penalty miss. However, when such an act is carried out by the club itself, which a player represents with passion and dedication, it can be seen as highly inappropriate and unacceptable. Osimhen is among the elite group of strikers who can offer high goal-scoring prowess. His contributions were instrumental in Napoli’s success last season as they secured their first Serie A title in 30 years.
Given his prolific scoring record and the significance of his role, it may understandably not sit well with the Nigerian striker and his representative if he is subjected to mockery by the same club for a brief moment of error, especially considering his overall impact on the team’s success.
Who is Nigerian star Victor Osimhen?
Victor Osimhen is a Nigerian professional footballer renowned for his role as a striker for Napoli in Serie A. He was born on December 29, 1998, in Lagos, Nigeria, and began his football journey at the Ultimate Strikers Academy. Subsequently, he ventured to Europe to play for different clubs as he progressed in his career.
Osimhen had his career breakthrough in 2015 when he led the Nigerian Under 17 team to the FIFA U-17 World Cup victory. In that tournament, Osimhen claimed the Golden Boot and Silver Ball awards for his exceptional performance.
Victor Osimhen’s remarkable display garnered the interest of several European clubs, and he eventually signed with Vfl Wolfsburg in 2017. Though he struggled at Wolfsburg, his move marked a significant step in his professional career as he continued to develop as a footballer.
He later made a loan transfer to Charleroi in Belgium, where his career was revived, scoring 20 goals in 36 appearances for the club. Following his time at Wolfsburg, Victor Osimhen’s achievements led him to Lille in 2019. He continued to impress, and in 2020, Napoli signed him for a transfer fee of €70 million. This significant move to Napoli further solidified his status as a top talent in European football. At Napoli, the prolific Nigerian goalscorer bagged 31 goals in the 2022-23 season.
Victor Osimhen’s agent Calenda threatens to take legal against their own club, Napoli
Victor Osimhen was largely instrumental to Napoli’s first league title victory in over 30 years last season. He netted 31 goals, firing the club up to victory. However, despite all the exploits of this Nigerian striker, the club did not hesitate to post a bizarre video in mockery of his penalty miss on Tuesday on their TikTok account.
The goalless draw against Bologna revealed a different Napoli management side. They must have been understandably disappointed by Victor Osimhen’s failure to convert at the penalty spot, an opportunity that would have put them ahead in the match. However, posting a video in mockery of your own player’s mistake is deemed inappropriate by all standards, considering the length the Nigerian striker has gone for the club.
Besides, it was uncharacteristic of Victor Osimhen to miss such an opportunity. He has been on top of his game this season, scoring three goals. Yet, Napoli’s unusual video featured Victor Osimhen appealing for a penalty but included a strange and somewhat unsettling sped-up voice, which seemed to lack any clear context other than possibly mocking the striker’s efforts to persuade the referees to award the decision in his favour.
Then the video further showed Osimhen blasting off the penalty. The video was posted on the club’s social media account, though it’s yet to be acknowledged by the club, despite that they had taken it down immediately after.
Calenda, Victor Osimhen’s agent, said on Tuesday, “What happened today on Napoli’s official profile on the TikTok platform is not acceptable. A video mocking Victor was first made public and then, but now belatedly, deleted.”
“A serious fact that causes severe damage to the player and adds to the treatment that the boy is suffering in the last period between media trials and fake news. We reserve the right to take legal action and any useful initiative to protect Victor”, he added.
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