The Lille hotshot could soon join the club that once paraded probably football’s greatest ever star, and he is being backed to make as much impact
President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, is convinced that Super Eagles forward Victor Osimhen would be an excellent signing for Napoli and that the youngster could go on to make Naples just as proud as Diego Maradona ever did.
Osimhen is set to become Napoli’s most expensive buy after agreeing on a five-year deal with the Serie A giants believed to be worth €60 million.
The highest transfer fee paid by the club for a player was €42 million, paid to PSV Eindhoven for Hirving Lozano on 23 August 2019.
I Partenopei’s greatest ever player, however, is Argentina legend Diego Armando Maradona who inspired the Blues to two Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia and the UEFA Cup in 1989, scoring a total of 115 goals in 259 games.
That feat guaranteed Maradona god-like status in Naples to date, and the head of Nigerian football believes Osimhen has the right quality and winning mentality to follow in the footsteps of – and even outshine – the game’s greatest.
“I think Victor Osimhen is an excellent signing for Napoli,” Pinnick told Radio Kiss Kiss as quoted by Goal.
“I’ve followed them from when they had Diego Armando Maradona. Naples is a proud city and also in football terms.
“Osimhen’s a source of pride for African football. He’s someone who is disciplined but focused on objectives, and if he wants something, he knows how to get it.
“He made the right decision for his career. I already believe he’ll receive the right support from the club and its fans.
“Napoli are the right club for him to achieve important results, and Osimhen will always give his best.
“I’ll say it now: Victor will do everything possible to match and even break the records set by a legend like Maradona.
“I talked to Victor just a few minutes ago, he’s very excited about his new experience and new club.
“Napoli is a big name in world football. It’ll be a new challenge for him, and he told me: ‘President, I’ll make Naples proud’.
“If he gets the right support, I guarantee he’ll stick to his word and make you all proud. Believe in him, and he’ll help the team achieve their objectives.
“I’ll come to Naples next season to watch some of their games. Osimhen is young and could stay at Napoli for a long time.
“As I already said, he’ll be playing for a great team, and his quality justifies the investment made by Napoli, who believe in Victor’s huge potential.
“We’re talking about a player who won the [U-17] World Cup in Chile in 2016. I’ve already wished him all the best.”
Gennaro Gattuso’s side fended off interests from Liverpool and Man United to capture the Nigerian forward who has netted 38 goals across the last two seasons for Belgium’s Sporting Charleroi and France’s Lille LOSC.