With Victor Osimhen, Getting Vanquished Is Not An Option
A lanky, tall kid hit the ball with ferocious accuracy. Spotting his country’s green and white jersey, he ran his mates ragged, proving to be a level ahead of them in desire and attributes. He scored for fun, and his understanding of the game, many said, is high and above. A definite future star, if the universe agrees.
A German move beckoned. He soon found himself in a city where machines never stop working and the engines hardly stop rolling. In Wolfsburg, at the Volkswagen Arena, he failed to find an accelerator for his career. His immense promise pulled a brake. But it wasn't the end. He wasn't done yet. The promise was immense, maybe he had moved too far. A step too high perhaps.
A loan move to Club Brugge ended in tears and sleepless nights. Just more than a year before, he was the finest cadet in the world, scoring for fun and breaking records. Suddenly, his career hit a downturn, and he had become the morning dew the trousers hate. Strong at heart, he soon found where roses settled. Charleroi gave a chance. He took it with both legs.
Northern France; LOSC Lille saw a kid they could help weave into gold. They did their best. Mercurial, imperial- adjectives that described his talent were enormous and the big move came.
Greatness doesn't walk alone, it moves with risks. From the dillydallies of his transfer to the excitement that followed, many genuinely wanted him to grow. If Napoli, once described to be like Lagos by a Nigerian Fuji musician, would be home to his beautiful talent, so be it! He found a home.
Napoli got their man. Pressure was mounting, the money was huge. A Nigerian journalist compared him with Maradona in a usual clickbait attempt and the attacker dropped the ball. He dug deep into his earliest years, disregarding growth and maturity. He threw caution out his open windows. Surprised? Yes! Disappointed? Many still see the kid in him. Mistakes are part of the process.
He apologised, in what looked like an involuntary step. The public at least recorded his plea for forgiveness. My people forgive who they love.
Revered, he stars for Nigeria again, scoring in important games and proving to be a young man with great love for his country and his own. He loves the game too.
His start in Napoli haven't seen many goals, but his endless running, efforts and commitment have drawn plaudits from the coach and fans in Naples. Good start to life; a dream taking shape. Then bust!
Nigeria plays Sierra Leone, and the striker dislocates his shoulder. Reports say Napoli blamed the Super Eagles’ doctors for doing a shoddy work. Again, Osimhen protects his own and denies such ever happened. Patriot!
He misses weeks, due to the injury. Football comes again, expectations rise again. Why should he be out for so long when the team needs him? He cost an eye and a nose! He's key to the balance of the team. Italian impatience sets in. The fickle nature of football also rears its ugly head and just when the pantomime wanted to take a rest! It was bust, again!
Osimhen is COVID-19 positive. He visited Nigeria. Attended a party and in such a short time, his story takes over the Italian Press. Careless, cursed and caught! Osimhen will have explanations to make.
Football is such a total sport! It is detailed to a fault and clubs invest a lot in players. They always expect to have them when they need them, as long as they are fit, except it's the season of a pandemic. The calls have begun, critics have found a field day, but for this man, it’s not negotiable.
Osimhen is one of Nigeria’s biggest talents in many years. Young, naive, reckless, careless perhaps, his early days as an African kid will do its part to sway his ways. However, he needs the truth.
At that level, many have come and gone, but he holds a different feel, a wholly different spectacle, typified by his ability to perform on the grandest stages. Perform, he will not, if he doesn't play.
The coming days will come with kicks and he needs to guard his shin, head and heart. Mudslingers will be hurled, words will be woven to wound his strength, but he needs to stay far off the maddening crowd, else vanquishing is just some miles away, and that’s not a quality of victors.