From selling water in Olusosun, Lagos, to Serie A champion, African Footballer of the Year and Galatasaray’s record signing — Victor Osimhen’s story is one of the most inspiring in Nigerian sport.
Quick facts
| Full name | Victor James Osimhen |
|---|---|
| Born | 29 December 1998, Lagos |
| Position | Striker |
| Clubs | Wolfsburg, Charleroi, Lille, Napoli (2020–2025), Galatasaray (loan 2024–25; permanent from July 2025) |
| Honours | FIFA U-17 World Cup (2015, Golden Boot); Serie A (2023, top scorer); Süper Lig (2025, 2026); CAF African Footballer of the Year (2023) |
| Super Eagles | About 35 goals — second on Nigeria’s all-time scoring list; AFCON runner-up 2023 |
From Olusosun to the world
Osimhen grew up in the Olusosun area of Lagos, near the city’s biggest dump site, and sold bottled water in traffic to help his family after his mother died. He trained at the Ultimate Strikers Academy in Lagos.
U-17 hero
At the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile he scored 10 goals, won the Golden Boot and led Nigeria to the title.
Europe
- Wolfsburg (2017) — a tough start in Germany;
- Charleroi (2018–19) — goals returned in Belgium;
- Lille (2019–20) — a breakout season in France;
- Napoli (2020–2025) — a club-record signing; in 2022–23 he scored 26 league goals as Napoli won their first Serie A title in 33 years;
- Galatasaray — joined on loan in 2024, won the Turkish league and cup, and signed permanently in July 2025 for about €75 million, a Turkish record. He won another league title in 2025–26.
Super Eagles
He was named African Footballer of the Year in 2023 and helped Nigeria to the final of AFCON 2023 and third place at AFCON 2025. Nigeria missed the 2026 World Cup after losing the qualifying play-off to DR Congo on penalties.
Net worth and businesses
He earns from one of the biggest salaries in Turkish football, plus endorsement deals. Celebrity net worth figures online are mostly guesses — none of the big numbers you see are verified, so treat them with care.
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