Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has said he retains strong hopes of clinching the African Footballer of the Year award as he steps up hard work to achieve his dreams.
The Napoli forward is regarded as a strong contender for the gong this year following stellar performances in the Italian Serie A where he is the highest goal scorer.
No Nigerian player has won the coveted accolade since Nwankwo Kanu claimed it in 1999 and Osimhen has been tipped as the next Super Eagle to win the award.
He told Daily Mail in an extensive interview that he has always dreamt about winning the award and will continue to work hard to achieve it.
“I am not going to lie. It would be my dream to be African Footballer of the Year. I was at the ceremony in 2015 when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang won the award. As an African, you dream of this prize and maybe I can win.
‘My first experience of European football, at Wolfsburg, was difficult. But it paved the way for what I have done since. I know that if I change countries, I will adapt quickly.
‘I am not the type of player who folds under pressure and I try to stay calm in every situation. The season is going really well. I have putting up some amazing numbers and I am proud of what I have achieved – but I am not done yet.’
He is compared to Manchester City striker Erling Haaland who is regarded as arguably the most prolific striker in the world and the moment but Osimhen insisted that he has the quality to match his friend with goals.
He said they shared mutual respect through one of his teammates who has spoken highly of him.
“I play with Leo Ostigard at Napoli, who is very good friends with Haaland and plays for Norway with him,’ Osimhen explains.
‘” am a fan of the Bundesliga so I’ve followed him for a while and every weekend he seems to score two, three, four goals.
“Ostigard spoke to me a lot about him, how hard he trained, then one day he said: ‘If you want, I can bring you his shirt.” I said: “Of course, bro.”
“So he spoke to Haaland, who also asked for my shirt, so we swapped them through Ostigard. He is one of the best of his generation so to be compared with him – and considered one of the best strikers in the world – only inspires me to do more.
“I can score four goals in a game, I can provide more assists, I can do many more things as I have the quality to execute them. I need to work even harder and then at the end of my career I can hopefully look back and say yes, I did some wonderful things.”
