Manchester United striker, Odion Ighalo, has named Lille’s Victor Osimhen as the future of Nigerian football.
Osimhen burst onto the scene at the 2015 U17 World Cup, where he won the Golden Boot and Silver Ball awards, as Nigeria clinched the trophy.
The 21-year-old has scored four goals in nine appearances for the Super Eagles since making his senior debut in 2017.
He was also part of the Nigeria squad that finished third at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, where Ighalo emerged as the highest goalscorer.
In Europe, Osimhen has been in fine form for Lille this season, scoring 18 goals in 38 appearances.
“I talk to Osimhen, he’s a very nice boy. He’s a good guy. We talk, not almost every day, but almost every time I advise him,” Ighalo told Elegbete TV.
“He’s the future of Nigerian football. He’s the future, he’s going to do so well in football. I always advise him to keep calm, keep working hard and the guy is going to be a celebrity, you know.”
Anaedoonline.com reported that Lille striker, Victor Osimhen, has attributed some of his success in football to former Nigeria youth coach, Emmanuel Amuneke.
Amuneke took Osimhen to the 2015 FIFA U17 World Cup in Chile, where he ended up winning the Golden Boot and Silver Ball awards after scoring 10 goals and providing two assists.
However, Osimhen endured a tough time in the training camp and almost walked away.
“I would rewind to when I joined the U17s and when I first went to the camp. In my own mentality, I felt the coach didn’t like me. Every time, he would speak to me and yell at me on the pitch. For me, I thought maybe he was making me suffer,” Osimhen told NFF media.
“There was a time I wanted to leave the camp, I spoke to the coordinator and he told me to be calm that the coach knew what he was doing.
“For me, I think when you have chosen this path, you have to be disciplined. Discipline is the first thing, whether you have a coach or you don’t have a coach guiding you, I think discipline is the first thing. And I am really happy with what I went through with coach Emmanuel Amuneke.
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“Everything I am today, everything I would be in the future, I attribute almost half of my success to him. Whatever I have achieved, he really set my path, he made me understand life isn’t all about talent, you have to work hard, you have to be disciplined and listen to the coach’s instructions either on or off the pitch. I think other players that played under him can also testify, not just me.
“So, I think, whatever, path you choose, be it football or music or any other thing, you have to be disciplined and know what you are doing and what you want.”
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