Victor Osimhen (born December 29, 1998) is a Nigerian professional footballer who currently plays as a striker for Süper Lig club Galatasaray on loan from Serie A club Napoli, as well as for the Nigeria National Team (Super Eagles). He is regarded as one of the world’s top attackers, distinguished by his speed, strength, and athleticism.
Born in Nigeria, Osimhen started his senior career in Germany with VfL Wolfsburg in 2017. After a season and a half at the club, he moved on loan to Belgian side Charleroi in 2018-19 before joining Ligue 1 club Lille, where he scored eighteen goals in his lone season.
Victor Osimhen Biography
Victor Osimhen was born in Lagos as the youngest of six siblings, growing up among two brothers and four sisters. His father, Patrick Osimhen, was a fervent Christian, and his mother, Christiana Osimhen, reflected his background.
Both of Osimhen’s parents have died. His mother died unexpectedly when he was a toddler, but his father lived long enough to see him reach professional football before passing away in 2020.
Osimhen comes from a humble household, with his elder brother, Andrew, selling newspapers by the highway to support the family. His sister, Blessing, was a tiny shopkeeper who used her meager money to buy him jerseys and boots, fueling his football ambitions.
Victor Osimhen Religion
Victor Osimhen was raised in a Christian environment and is still a passionate believer. While he did not follow in his father’s footsteps to become a man of God, the striker actively practices his faith. When he goes to Nigeria, he attends church services and was even spotted at a New Year crossover service in Lagos in late December.
Victor Osimhen Age
Victor Osimhen is now 27 years old. He was born on December 19, 1998.
Victor Osimhen Tribe
Victor Osimhen’s roots may be traced back to Esan Local Government Area in Edo State; however, he was born and raised in Lagos, especially Olusosun. This location, notorious for holding one of Africa’s largest dumpsites, spanned roughly 100 acres and molded much of his upbringing.
Despite the fact that the landfill receives up to 10,000 tons of rubbish per day, it also houses approximately 500 families. Many of its residents work at the dumpsite, scavenging for scraps to sell.
This is the community where Osimhen first put on his football boots and began his career. He later joined the Ultimate Strikers Academy, where he honed his raw talent, eventually catching the attention of Nigeria’s U17 national team coaches.
Victor Osimhen Career
Osimhen began his career at the Ultimate Strikers Academy in Lagos, where he played till 2017. He made his U-17 debut in a 2014 friendly match. He scored two goals in his debut. One of his most memorable goals came against Zambia at the 2015 U-17 African Championship in Niger in 2014.
This, he thought, was extremely good because it was a firm reflection of what he had learned in training with coach Amuneke, which was “accuracy first, before power.” He also says it was a terrific competition because the team met their goal of qualifying for the World Cup in Chile.
He was one of the leading goal scorers in Niger in 2015, scoring four goals in six matches. He is also equal for 9 goals with Souleymane Coulibaly of the Ivory Coast and Florent Sinama Pongolle of France.
Osimhen was instrumental in Nigeria’s U-17 win at the FIFA World Cup in Chile, scoring ten goals to become the competition’s leading goal scorer. Following the World Cup, it was claimed that many major English teams, including Arsenal, Manchester City, and Tottenham Hotspur, wanted his services. Moments after being crowned Youth Player of the Year at the Caf Awards in Abuja in January 2016, he revealed that he would join Wolfsburg, a German Bundesliga team.
According to him, the Wolfsburg coach’s guarantees boosted his morale, and he chooses to play for the German club over any other club in Europe. He signed a three-and-a-half-year contract that runs until June 2020, and he made his Bundesliga debut in May 2017 as a substitute against Borussia Monchengladbach.
Despite being a reported target of numerous European clubs, French Ligue 1 club Lille confirmed Osimhen’s transfer on August 1, 2019, with a five-year contract. The transfer fee was believed to be €12 million, with an additional €3 million in bonuses and add-ons.
Ten days after the transfer, he made his Ligue 1 debut for the club on August 11, scoring twice in a 2-1 victory over Nantes. Two weeks later, he scored another brace in his third game in France, a 3-0 home win over Saint-Étienne, earning him an 8/10 rating from French sports weekly L’Équipe.
Osimhen was named the Ligue 1 Player of the Month for September 2019 after scoring two goals and assisting on two others in Lille’s five league games. He subsequently scored his first UEFA Champions League goal on October 2, 2019, in a 1-2 home loss to English club Chelsea.
According to a league report from March, Osimhen was the player with the most sprints above 35 km/h (21.75 mph), ahead of Kylian Mbappé. The Nigerian concluded the season as Lille’s leading scorer, with 13 goals in 25 domestic championship games and 18 goals in all competitions.
His impressive season and goal-scoring performances earned him the 2020 Prix Marc-Vivien Foé, a medal presented to the greatest African player in the French championship, and Osimhen was projected by many to be a contender for the African Footballer of the Year award soon. On June 2, 2020, he was named Lille’s Player of the Season, having received the most votes from fans.
On July 31, 2020, Serie A team Napoli announced the signing of Osimhen for a club record sum of €70 million, which could rise to €80 million with add-ons, making him Africa’s most expensive move to date. On October 17, Osimhen scored his first goal for Napoli in a 4-1 victory over Atalanta. After scoring, he held up a shirt that demanded a stop to the current police brutality in his native Nigeria.
On November 13, during an Africa Cup of Nations qualification game against Nigeria while on international break, Osimhen was stretchered off injured. This was later identified as a shoulder injury, which would keep Osimhen off the field for two months.
While healing from the injury, Osimhen was allowed by his club to spend time in his native nation, where he was able to celebrate his birthday. It is suspected that Osimhen caught the COVID-19 virus during his birthday celebrations, as he tested positive when he returned to Naples.
This positive test, combined with his shoulder injury, kept Osimhen out of play until his return on January 29, 2021, when he was substituted for approximately twenty minutes in Napoli’s Coppa Italia victory over Spezia.
On September 16, 2021, Osimhen scored twice in a 2-2 Europa League group stage draw at Leicester City. In Napoli’s 3-2 loss to Inter Milan at San Siro in November 2021, Osimhen had a severe head injury as well as fractures to his skull and eye sockets. He needed emergency surgery and was unable to attend the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
He has been wearing a protective mask since due to the risks associated with playing without it, and he claimed in an interview that he intends to wear it for the remainder of his career. By the end of the season, he had scored 14 goals in Serie A and 18 in all competitions.
On September 3, Turkish Süper Lig team Galatasaray began talks to sign Osimhen on loan until the end of the 2024-25 season. The next day, Galatasaray announced that they had completed the loan signing of Osimhen. On September 28, Osimhen scored his first goals for the club in a 3-3 draw against Kasımpaşa, scoring twice in the first half.
At the end of the first half, Osimhen was injured and replaced by Dries Mertens, a former Napoli player. Osimhen scored his first goals in Europe for Galatasaray after joining from Napoli, scoring a first-half brace within eight minutes in a 3-2 Europa League league victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
On March 14, 2025, Osimhen scored his first hat-trick for Galatasaray in a 4-0 win over Antalyaspor.
Victor Osimhen Wife: Personal life
Osimhen is a Christian. He has indicated that he was inspired by Sadio Mané, who supports his community in Senegal, and that he wants to help disadvantaged people throughout Africa. Osimhen has announced the birth of his first kid, a daughter named Haly, born in October 2022
Victor Osimhen Salary
Victor Osimhen’s weekly pay at Galatasaray, where he is on loan for the 2024/25 season, is €125,000 (more than ₦222 million). This equates to an annual net salary of more than €6 million.
Social Media
Instagram: @victorosimhen9
Twitter: @victorosimhen9
