Super Eagles and Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen has revealed some of the side effects of the face fracture he suffered during his time at Napoli, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup Golden Boot winner joined Napoli for €76.3m from LOSC Lille, but his first season was riddled with injuries, reducing him to just 10 goals across all competitions.
The following season, he suffered an even worse injury, a career-threatening one in fact. In Napoli's 3-2 loss to Inter Milan at the San Siro, Osimhen contested for an aerial ball with then-Inter defender Milan Skriniar.
However, the duel saw the striker's jaw hit the defender's head, and he suffered a concussion. Osimhen was briefly unconscious before he was finally taken off.
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Upon further checks, it was discovered that the striker's left eye came out of its socket, and he suffered a broken jaw.
The former Wolfsburg forward then needed six plates and eighteen screws implanted into his face and was sidelined for three months. As a result, he missed Nigeria's AFCON 2021 campaign.
Detailing the surgery process, the former Charleroi man revealed it was a near-death experience.
“That injury was like a near-death injury,” the 2023 CAF Player of the Year said in quotes revealed by One Football.
“I am the only one who felt it, and I can only speak about how I felt because it was my face and body. When the scan came out, I fractured many bones, which they had to remove and fix inside again.
“I have, like, 18 screws under my jaw. I went through a lot.
“A lot of sleepless nights. I could not sleep, and I could not eat with the pain. But at the end of the day, I am a lion — and I know the kind of mentality I have.
“To be able to stand up without using the stretcher and walk out of the pitch on my own — then I knew that it was something I could handle.
Osimhen reveals aftermath of face injury
Confined to wear a safety mask for the remainder of his football career is one of the safety measures the 26-year-old has put in place.
In a recent conversation with MMA champion Kerim Engizek, Osimhen revealed he only eats with one side of his face to avoid complications.
“It happened in 2021, we were playing against Inter Milan. So there's this guy [Milan Skriniar], when the ball came through the flank, and I was trying to hit the ball while he was bringing his head behind me, he didn't see the whole picture.
“So, I hit my jaw on his head, and the bones on the left side of my face were cracked, everywhere.
“I went to the hospital in Milan. They initially checked through the X-Ray before I was told to do an MRI scan.
“When he checked, he told me ‘, Man, you need surgery'. Then I told him, ‘No chance, I don't do surgeries. ‘
“He then told me I had to do it, but I didn't want it because they were going to have to cut through my face, but then he told me if I wanted to continue to play football, that's the only way.
“I told him a cut on my face wouldn't be possible as there was already a scar.
“He then gave me a second option, where the stitches would go through my jaw, and I agreed to that.
“Now, I only eat on the right side of my face for the rest of my life; I can't eat through the other side.
“There are several pieces of metal on that side that hold it all together, so I can't risk it.
Victor Osimhen, Napoli forması giyerken Skriniar ile yaşadığı sakatlık pozisyonunu ve devamındaki tedavisini anlattı.pic.twitter.com/kzo1Ym68UY
— Forza Cimbom (@forzacimbom) November 23, 2025
Despite the conditions of Osimhen's face, he still puts in a fiery shift every time he steps on the pitch for club and country.
Additionally, he continues to be a threat in the air. Of his 191 career goals, 41 have been scored with his head.
