Victor Osimhen: Sad Tale of Getting Disrespected As Napoli’s Videos Continue to Elicit Reactions

When the Serie A Twitter admin uploaded a graphic of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia getting crowned by the iconic Diego Maradona on May 6, he/she perhaps did not envisage the kind of backlash that would follow.

With over 11,000 quote retweets, the account got heat for snubbing Victor Osimhen's vital contribution to Napoli's first title in 33 years.

Admittedly, both Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia played a vital role in Luciano Spalletti's plan and realisation of conquering Italy. The former scored the all-important goal that clinched the title against Udinese with five games to spare on May 4.

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Osimhen finished the season with 26 goals and four assists, while Kvaratskhelia chipped in with 12 goals and 10 assists. The post by the Serie A account brought about fears that Osimhen might get snubbed for the Most Valuable Player of the season award.

And got snubbed he did. Kvaratskhelia was officially declared the league's MVP on June 2.

But for Osimhen, getting snubbed after a prolific scoring season sadly wasn't something new.

Napoli videos on Osimhen

Fast forward three months later and Osimhen is back in the limelight for divisive reasons. Only this time he wasn't snubbed - he was outrightly disrespected.

We can't decide on what is worse- that Napoli's TikTok admin saw it right to share a video mocking the Nigerian's penalty miss or that the club hasn't apologised or provided a clarification.

Never mind that Osimhen took his goal tally for the season to four with a neat finish against Udinese just hours after the videos were shared.

2015 U-17 World Cup

Let's circle back to 2015 when Chile hosted the sixteenth edition of the FIFA U-17 World Cup. A Nigerian side under the tutelage of the legendary Emmanuel Amunike headed to the South American nation with marauding talent keen to capture the world's attention.

Osimhen was flanked by Samuel Chukwueze (now at AC Milan), and Kelechi Nwakali (Ponferradina), among others. Osimhen ended up scoring in every game, even in the 2-1 loss to Croatia in the group stage, as the Golden Eaglets went on to win their fifth World Cup title.

Nwakali vs. Osimhen

In total, he scored 10 goals, six better than his closest challenger Johannes Eggestein of Germany. But surprisingly, those goals were not enough to land him the Golden Ball (player of the tournament) as FIFA's technical observers settled on Nwakali instead.

Well, respectfully, Nwakali made the Eaglets tick with his playmaking role. The right-footed player was exciting to watch throughout the tournament and for his efforts, he bagged three goals and three assists. A product of ASJ Academy, he captained his side to glory and afterwards, he attracted interest from the likes of Manchester City.

However, the bone of contention herein was, was Nwakali's contribution far better than Osimhen's goals? What were the parameters used to settle on Nwakali? Could Nigeria have made it that far without Osimhen's goals? Or better yet, how would they have fared had Nwakali not been in the team?

At the end of the day, Osimhen got his Golden Boot and the Silver Ball, but a huge chunk of fans remained disgruntled.

When Kvaratskhelia pipped him to last season's MVP award, one couldn't downplay the feeling of deva ju.

Why is Osimhen 'unfit' for MVP?

Which begs the question, what is about Osimhen that makes him so 'unattractive' for such awards? For this question, there can never be a right answer. The Serie A post in May was met with accusations of racism from social media users. Sports Brief can't confirm these claims.

However, fans often love themselves a charming player. A player who can get more than just goals. A player who can dribble, dictate play, and pull off a couple of skills here and there. Sadly for Osimhen, he doesn't fit this profile. Put him in the box, get him the ball and he will get it in the back of the net.

It revives memories of how Erling Haaland was accused of scoring only tap-ins during his first few months in England.

Nwakali and Kvaratskhelia are the types of players who excite fans. The players who offer more than goals. But in a game of football, it is goals that matter. It doesn't matter how many nutmegs or successful take-ons you completed.

Don't get me wrong, Nwakali and Kvaratskhelia were equally impressive in their respective title hunts alongside Osimhen, but this here is just a case of Osimhen deserving it more.

What next for Osimhen?

This aside, the former Lille player is said to be contemplating legal action against Napoli. He did start and score against Udinese on September 27, but after his social media activity, one can tell that this is far from over.

Rumours of a possible January exit have already been wafted around, with clubs like Chelsea and Real Madrid desperate for strikers.