Top scorer learned from Gómez
SSC Napoli’s top striker Victor Osimhen sees the time at his former club VfL Wolfsburg as formative. “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,” said the 24-year-old after the Champions League second leg against Eintracht Frankfurt in Naples “Sport1”. He had previously scored two goals and was thus partly responsible for the clear elimination of the SGE.
At VfL, Osimhen only played 14 Bundesliga games and mostly got short assignments. “It wasn’t easy for me. But I don’t see it that negatively. Wolfsburg was a very instructive time for me,” said the top scorer in Serie A (19 goals). He learned a lot from a former teammate in particular: Mario Gómez. “I enjoyed watching him and learned a lot from him. He guided me when he was there and gave me valuable tips,” said the Nigerian. “He really helped me a lot. I am eternally grateful to him for that.”
Knipser, who moved from LOSC Lille to Naples in 2020 for 75 million euros, does not lack self-confidence: “I do believe that I am currently one of the best strikers in the world.” The statistics speak for him: With 23 goals in a total of 28 season games he made a significant contribution to the fact that his club is in the Champions League quarter-finals and can probably win its first championship in more than 30 years with an 18-point lead. In the race for the Golden Boot, only Harry Kane and Erling Haaland are ahead of Osimhen, although the latter is also clear.
Most recently, Osimhen said he is working hard “to achieve my dream of playing in the Premier League one day. But like I said, it’s a process and I want to keep that momentum and continue to perform well.” In retrospect, Wolfsburg’s ex-managing director Jörg Schmadtke admitted that giving up Osimhen “was of course not a good move”. A year and a half after starting at VfL in 2017, the professional went on loan to RSC Charleroi for a season, where he scored 20 goals in all competitions. As a consequence, the Belgians pulled the purchase option for 3.5 million euros that was integrated into the loan deal with Wolfsburg a year later – and sold Osimhen to France in Lille just four weeks later for 22 million euros. In 2020 it went on to Napoli for 75 million euros.
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