By Prisca Sam-Duru
Funny how the on-pitch outburst of Super Eagles star Victor Osimhen at teammate Ademola Lookman during an African Cup of Nations, AFCON match, overshadowed Nigeria’s 4-0 win over Mozambique. Osimhen and Lookman have since dominated headlines after that Round of 16 match for that heated exchange. While some fans are busy calling for sanctions against Osimhen, Lookman, who should feel spited, described what happened as “Just Football”. Even the Captain of the team Wilfred Ndidi called the encounter “a very competitive attitude” which he likes.
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So, wouldn’t fans do well to understand it that way, for a united and progressive team? From time immemorial, a lot occurs during any match, one of which is outburst such as displayed by Osimhen. And does that really define the player, especially a player of such calibre? A goal freak whose on-pitch attitude, be it negative or positive, only tends towards putting his team ahead? Is he puffed up due to his growing records? That hardly could be the case because this Galatasaray player does not even consider himself as a celebrity.
In a trending chat with Oral Sports Entertainment, the 2023 African Footballer of the Year exposed his true self. In the video, Osimhen downplayed the celebrity status. “Me? celeb? (laughs) omo. I think I’ve done so much for myself, to be like well known. I have a target for myself, but I’m still going there. The fame doesn’t mean anything to me. I don’t care mehn. Some want to do a lot of things for fame, which is absolutely scrap. This fame won’t bring you even money.”
Unbelievably, the most expensive things he’s bought are “two estates”. “I’m a businessman oo, which is good because football is temporal. When you’re done playing, you need to fall back on something.” That’s wise enough! Osimhen has only one addiction. When asked what it was, he replied: “Ha! just scoring goals ooo and having fun.” Can you see the reason for that outburst at Lookman? His eyes are always on the goal and would snap at any disruption.
The interviewer then said to him, ‘Osimhen you’re very humble, do you know?’ He laughs shyly before responding. “I think I’m built that way. I dey show love, normally. I dey show love yeah! But do you know it’s kind of very boring to be proud. Me, I can chill with anybody as long as I have my security with guns; you try any funny thing, you fit get hit. I can be, sometimes mean in a certain kind of way. For example, someone cannot do me evil and expect me to pay them with good. I will pay evil for evil.”
Guess his proudest moment. “The birth of my daughter. For real, it’s a beautiful moment for me. It’s been long since I had tears in my eyes. Everybody cries right, in our secret moment. Abi, I lie? He refuses to accept that men don’t cry. “Men do oo.” A lot has happened in my love life, but I have a daughter now. So, I think she gets all the love now.”
He talks more about his preference for brains to beauty. “Give yourself a dream because if you slack, these people will take advantage of you. I don’t even like when girls come for me. I want to see a girl, and feel like this girl makes sense, okay, make I approach her. I like those kinds of things.
“I don’t care about looks oo. If you are not bringing anything to the table, I’m not doing anything ooo. (Laughs) I cannot buy a Birkin bag of 100k plus for a girl and e reach my turn, and you’re telling me ‘a king is born today.”
Asked what happens if the lady cannot afford something like a Birkin bag?” He said, “If you’re staying with a rich person, don’t you know that you have to work hard? You need to like be careful. You need to gain something. Personally, for me, if you are not offering anything to my life, omo, you go dey far from me, because me, I bi hard worker. I don’t need leeches around me. Over there, everyone is a hustler. They’re working. So, it’s not that you’re taking babes to the club every time. No! I prefer to take my guys to the club than babes.”
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