Mario Gomez gave me tips at Wolfsburg – Osimhen

Osimhen started his European sojourn in Wolfsburg, but he failed to nail down a spot at the club

Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has revealed that he learned a lot from German striker Mario Gomez during his time at Wolfsburg.

After his exploits at the Under-17 World Cup in 2015, when he scored ten goals in seven games, Osimhen was the toast of several top clubs in Europe.

Many top clubs in Europe were interested in getting his services at the time, but he opted for a move to German Bundesliga side Wolfsburg in 2017.

Osimhen quickly rose through the ranks and climbed to the first team. However, he was a peripheral figure at the club and struggled to pin down a shirt the club, especially with the presence of highly flying Gomez, and he had to go on a season-long loan deal at Belgian RSC Charleroi.

After impressing at the club, they signed him permanently. Then he left for Lille after a good campaign.

Osimhen sealed a blockbuster €72million move to Napoli in 2020 afterwards, and he has proven his brilliance since he moved to Italy.

Looking back at the period at Wolfsburg when the future looked bleak for him, Osimhen admits that he used it to learn from former Bayern Munich star Mario Gomes.

 

“You know, being a peripheral player at Wolfsburg wasn’t easy for me,” Osimhen said per Sport.

“But I don’t see it that negatively. Wolfsburg was a very instructive time for me. I look back on a special experience because I played with Mario Gomez.

“I enjoyed watching him and learned a lot from him. He guided me when he was there and gave me valuable tips. I am very happy that I had him by my side in Wolfsburg during my first year in Europe.

“He really helped me a lot. I am eternally grateful to him for that. Wolfsburg was a good opportunity for me to grow.

“I also learned from these setbacks. The time in Wolfsburg made me who I am today.”

 

Osimhen has since grown to be one of the best strikers in the world. The 24-year-old has scored 23 goals for Napoli across all competitions this season. He is also on course to win the Scudetto with the Partenopeans after a 33-year wait.