Success stories do not come any better than French Ligue 1 hotshot Victor Osimhen who has, within a relatively short period, established himself as one of the hottest commodities available in the game's striker role.
The Nigeria international has brought his talent to bear not just in the division but also on the international scene, and his meteoric rise to prominence was a long time coming. It might have taken until a third-place game in the 2019 AFCON tournament in Egypt for the youngster to earn his first competitive bow for the Super Eagles, but that perhaps was down to the excellent form of his direct rival, Odion Ighalo, at the time.
His talents first came to fore as far back as 2015 when he led the Golden Eaglets to a record fifth FIFA U-17 World Cup title in Chile, picking both the Golden Boot and Silver Ball awards along the way. A host of top European clubs had already taken notice, and by the time the competition drew to a close, Arsenal, Tottenham, Anderlecht and Wolfsburg were willing to put themselves in a bidding war.
German side Wolfsburg eventually won the race for his signature, but his romance with the Bundesliga failed to go to plan, in less attribution to his potential to flourish. In his two-season stint at the Volkswagen Arena, Osimhen fired blanks, and there was that urgent need for a change of surroundings. August 2018 could not come any earlier, and he jumped ship to Belgium to try and hone his skills, joining Sporting Charleroi on a season-long loan deal. And it was there that his most significant qualities were firmly unleashed.
He scooped an impressive haul of twelve goals in 25 Belgian First Division games. He added another seven in nine UEFA Europa League outings, with the one he got in his two cup appearances for Les Zèbres bringing his total to 20. Those were pretty eye-catching numbers that even the best ones in the business would be proud of. Yet again, there was little to suggest he would be sticking around the surroundings for much longer than he did even though the club had activated his buyout clause and were willing to have him stay, but Europe's elites came hovering again.
Christophe Galtier, the longest-serving Ligue 1 manager, was building a new project at Lille and he needed a no-nonsense, imposing goal poacher to spearhead his team. So when Arsenal put out all stops to prize away the biggest asset he had in that regard, Nicolas Pepe in the summer, the Frenchman turned to the Ultimate Strikers Academy product and got his man to commit to a five-year deal.
And it even helped that Ligue 1 had its lure for Osimhen, with some great Nigerians who played the game having strutted their stuff in the division previously. "Lille is an excellent club that leads a quality project and includes high-class players, even more in recent years. Great Nigerian players have also played here. I want to join their lineage and follow their footsteps, " he said upon his arrival.
And he has set about putting his imprint on the team, so much that Galtier admitted that Lille is shorn of quality when the Nigerian isn't playing. For the context of it, Lille is third in Ligue 1 standings thanks to his bountiful return in the final third, as he's just a goal shy of hitting double figures for league goals, while he's also scored twice in the Champions League.
After a below-par European campaign which ended in a 2-1 loss to Chelsea on Tuesday, Galtier stressed in his post-match conference the little importance of the game to them and his reluctance in bringing on his star man whom he was saving for their domestic mission. There could be some wisdom to the move, as keeping a red-hot Osimhen fit would be more than pivotal to their chances of domestic success this term.
The Lille manager, aside taking care of his striker has also had to deal with and ward off swirling rumours linking the youngster with a January move to La Liga giants, Barcelona as a replacement for their ageing club legend Luis Suarez. Understandably, a club in Barcelona's ilk is sold on such talent like Osimhen's. Still, Galtier has been quick to downplay any notions of him leaving mid-season, insisting that he is thinking of staying with the club until at least the end of it.
And he's still just 20, all the interests, remarkable landmarks and attention he's been courting notwithstanding. The manner of his goals particularly has quickly taken on the shape of an established, ruthless goal scorer — tap-ins, solos, curlers, prodded efforts, Osimhen scores the lot.
But it hasn't been all plain sailing for him. For a lad who hawked newspapers and sold bottled water on the streets of Lagos, his rise to stardom has been anything but easy. In an interview with BeIN Sport in October, he told the heart-rending story of how his family toiled to make both ends meet the following series of setbacks.
“It was very difficult when I lost my mother, and it became tougher after my father lost his job and everything was very hard for us. We did not have enough to eat, but now I can give my family everything they want since I became a professional. I’ve been able to quickly break the deadlock and give them the life they deserve."
It is heartwarming to know that such penurious living has been thrown out of the window today, and more importantly, we have come to appreciate the fluidity with which he has bedded into his team, and seamlessly filled Pepe's shoes at Lille.
On Friday, Montpellier will travel to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy for the first Ligue 1 fixture of matchday 18, and the Nigerian will set his sights on adding a few more goals to his haul. He could yet prove the scourge of La Paillade who boast one of the best defences in the division, but that will come as a surprise to no one if he eventually does.