Super Eagles and Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen has revealed the difficulties he faced during his time at Napoli.
The 27-year-old joined the Italian club from Lille for €75 million, a record signing for Napoli. However, five years later, questions arose over the legitimacy of the transfer, and Napoli officials are now facing a court case over alleged false accounting linked to the deal.
Injury problems affected Osimhen during his first two seasons in Italy, but the 2022/2023 campaign changed everything. He scored 26 goals to help Napoli win the Serie A title for the first time in more than 30 years. Individually, he was named CAF Player of the Year and finished eighth in the 2023 Ballon d’Or rankings.
Osimhen signed a new contract with Napoli in December 2023, which included a release clause allowing him to leave at the end of the season if a suitable offer arrived.
The striker later fell out with Napoli under new management, particularly after a club video with racist undertones caused tension, a situation described as “bizarre” by former Super Eagles coach José Peseiro.
Chelsea, Juventus, and Paris Saint-Germain all expressed interest in Osimhen, but Napoli were only willing to consider offers from the Saudi Pro League. Eventually, he joined Galatasaray on loan before making the move permanent.
Speaking at a pre-match conference ahead of Galatasaray’s UEFA Champions League play-off against Juventus, Osimhen said he could have joined Juventus from Napoli, but club president Aurelio De Laurentiis blocked the move.
“Before talks with Galatasaray began, Giuntoli called me to bring me to Juve. I spoke with a few people from the club, and they showed interest, but I knew he (De Laurentiis) wouldn’t let me go,” Osimhen said.
He added that while he was willing to stay and work under Antonio Conte, the treatment he received at Napoli was unfair.
“We had a gentleman’s agreement that I could leave the following summer, but the other side did not fully honour that commitment. They sent me everywhere to play and treated me like a dog. I worked so hard to build my career, I couldn’t accept that kind of treatment.
“After the club’s TikTok, everything changed. I was insulted, and no one ever apologised. I was a victim of racist insults. I’m not a puppet. Conte wanted to keep me: I would have loved to work with him,” he concluded.
Osimhen’s move to Galatasaray has seen him shine again, earning him a place in the top three of the 2025 CAF Player of the Year alongside Mohamed Salah and Achraf Hakimi.
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