Man Utd target Victor Osimhen suffered tragic loss of mum and sold sachets of water on streets before breakthrough
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VICTOR OSIMHEN is the man of the moment.
His name, which means 'God is good' in his local Edo dialect, is fitting for someone whose journey reflects faith, grit and perseverance.
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Osimhen shot to fame at the FIFA U-17 tournament in Chile with 10 goals
Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
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Osimhen at the extreme right with his Nigeria U-17 team in 2015
Credit: Nigerian U17 National Football team
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Osimhen always wanted to play in the Premier League as a child
Credit: INSTAGRAM
Osimhen could soon be heading to Manchester United as SunSport revealed last week.
Talks with Viktor Gyokeres collapsed after the striker was not happy with the Red Devils' offer and now wants to move to Arsenal instead.
United are still in need of a striker and will now turn their attention to Osimhen.
The move would cap a remarkable rise for the Napoli striker, who spent last season on loan at Galatasaray .
The Nigerian began life selling sachets of water on the streets of Lagos to survive.
Watching him play today you can feel that hunger, a drive forged in the hustle of one of the world's toughest cities.
For years his WhatsApp profile photo carried the words: 'Focus, hustle, and believe.' It's a mindset he still lives by.
Even as global interest in him soars, Osimhen remains grounded in the values that shaped him into a world-class striker.
His first coach, Chinedu Ogbenna, told SunSport in an exclusive interview from his base in Nigeria about how it all started for the striker
Ogbenna said: 'I lived in the same compound where Victor was born.
'His father was a friend. I literally witnessed his first days on earth.
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Osimhen with his sister while on holiday in Nigeria
Credit: INSTAGRAM
'The house was a shared compound filled with kids. Even as a toddler, Victor would cry uncontrollably if the ball was taken from him.
'He could barely kick but he just needed the ball near him. That's where his love for football began.
'Life was hard, he lost his mother before he turned one. That's the kind of start he had, it tells you everything you need to know about his journey.'
Breakout moment in Chile
Osimhen first grabbed international attention when he won the Golden Boot at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile in 2015.
Nigeria had only narrowly qualified after finishing fourth in the African Championship.
Team media officer Morakinyo Abodunrin told SunSport how he witnessed first hand the growth of the man who will now become one of the best in the world.
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He said: 'He wasn't the finished product when he joined, but something shifted in Chile.
'He asked the team manager for Nike boots and promised to score goals in them. I didn't even think we had any but he insisted.
'True to his word he dominated the tournament in those boots, scoring 10 goals and helping us lift the trophy.'
His pace, power, and clinical finishing stood out but it was his mental toughness that truly separated him.
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Osimhen goes back home to inspire the next generation when on holidays
Credit: INSTAGRAM
Losing his mother early and watching his father struggle without work gave him a resilience beyond his years.
Osimhen opened up to France Football in 2019 about his tough upbringing.
He said: 'I lost my mom in October, I do not even remember the year.
"I was small. Three months later, my father lost his job. It was very hard for our family.
'My brother sold sports newspapers, my sister, oranges in the street and me, bottled water in Lagos in the middle of the traffic.
"We have to survive so we stick together.
'In the evening, we were all together and we gathered the money on the table.
"We gave everything to our big sister and she made food and organized everything.
'Part of my life has been a struggle to survive. But that's all I am today in the end. It's hard to classify all that but each event has created my personality.'
The tough beginnings have given him the resourcefulness to survive through the harder times in his career.
Former Barcelona player Emmanuel Amuneke, who coached Nigeria's U-17 team to victory, explained how Osimhen's strong character shone despite a slow start.
He said: 'You know how we Africans are with our mothers and he didn't have his so I think he channeled that void.
'To be honest when he first came to us for trial I didn't see much in him in the first set of games he played.
'But one of my assistants said, 'Coach, that boy in green could have something.' So I gave him another shot in the second game.
'That's when it clicked, tall, strong in the air, quick feet, and raw hunger. You could tell he could go far.
'Normally when someone is that tall you don't expect them to be that good with their feet but he had it all.'
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It was at Lille that the world started to take note of the Nigerian
Credit: AP:Associated Press
German setback
Following his U-17 triumph, Osimhen signed for Wolfsburg in Germany.
But he played just 14 games without scoring, overshadowed by experienced forwards like Mario Gomez and Divock Origi.
He was loaned to Belgian side Charleroi, where he found his form, scoring 20 goals in one season.
Speaking to The Nationonline, he said:'I wasn't shaken by the criticism at Wolfsburg. I believed in myself.
'Moving to Belgium proved that difficult times can be blessings in disguise.
"Many Nigerians had come to Belgium before me and succeeded. I'm proud to be among them.'
A star at Lille
Charleroi exercised their option to buy him for just £3million, but that same summer, Lille swooped in, using funds from Nicolas Pepe's sale to Arsenal to bring in Osimhen.
He made an immediate impact, scoring twice on his debut and later finding the net against Chelsea in the Champions League.
Then-Chelsea manager Frank Lampard was full of praise after watching him closely for the first time: 'He's a striker with everything, fast, strong, and technically sound.
'I'd watched clips before the game, but seeing him live was different. He's impressive and his story is inspiring.'
Osimhen finished as Lille's top scorer with 18 goals across all competitions attracting attention from Europe's elite. He chose Napoli.
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He was the star man as Napoli won a historic Serie A title
Credit: Getty
Superstardom in Naples
In 2020, Napoli signed Osimhen for a club-record £70million making him the most expensive African player in history.
After two solid seasons, he exploded in 2022/23.
He had missed AFCON with a facial injury and had to wear a mask which prompted the Italian media to dub him the 'Masked Assassin'.
Osimhen scored 26 goals in 32 league games as he led Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years.
He also broke George Weah's record to become the league's top-scoring African ever and won the Capocannoniere as Serie A's top scorer.
In 2023, he placed 8th in the Ballon d'Or the first Nigerian ever in the top 10.
But even at the height of success, tragedy struck again when his father, his biggest supporter, passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A fallout with Napoli followed, derailing a dream move to Chelsea. From being the club's icon he suddenly found himself sidelined, training alone, staring down six months without football.
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Osimhan has continued his goalscoring form in Turkey
Credit: Getty
King of Istanbul
Then Galatasaray called and Osimhen accepted and rediscovered his spark in Turkey.
He scored 26 goals in 30 games leading Galatasaray to the league title.
Since the transfer window opened he's turned down four offers from Saudi clubs including one that was offering wages of £40million-a-year.
Where he goes next remains uncertain but one thing is clear, Victor Osimhen has fought through unimaginable odds.
He didn't just climb the ladder, he built it one step at a time.
He's earned his place among the best strikers in the world.
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