Racism is a big problem in Italy and Osimhen revealed it played on his mind before deciding to join Napoli eventually
Victor Osimhen has said he was sceptical about joining Napoli initially due to the racism issues in Italy, but he changed his mind after he visited Naples.
Osimhen joined Gli Azzurri from French Ligue 1 side Lille for a club and African record fee of 80 million euros including add-ons.
However, the deal was not smooth sailing as Osimhen was reportedly against the move initially due to the several racism incidents that had plagued the Serie A in recent years.
The likes of Kalidou Koulibaly, Moise Kean and Mario Balotelli are some of the players that have been subjected to racist abuse in Serie A games in recent times.
Osimhen revealed it gave him a lot of concern, but he changed his mind when he visited Naples during negotiations.
“I was a bit sceptical about racism in Italy, but I’ve visited Naples, and I know that I’ve come to a marvellous city”, Osimhen said at his unveiling.
“I’m sure I’ve made the right choice because of the love Napoli fans show me will make me feel right at home”, he added.
The former Wolfsburg striker also revealed he is honoured to have followed in the footstep of the likes of Diego Maradona, Edinson Cavani and Gonzalo Higuain who all represented Napoli previously.
“One of the greatest of all-time played for Napoli, Maradona. Later players like Cavani, Higuain, and Hamsik played here, and for me to be here is a great honour, it’s a privilege for me to have signed for Napoli. I’m really happy to be here”.
