Newly crowned African Player of the Year Victor Osimhen is a star on a mission. He wants to transform the suffering of Nigerian supporters into joy with an Africa Cup of Nations title.
Recently culminated African Player of the Year Victor Osimhen is a star on a charge. He wants to transfigure the suffering of Nigerian sympathizers into joy with an Africa Cup of Nations title.
The Napoli forward outgunned the African bean last month to finish ahead of Egyptian Mohamed Salah and Moroccan Achraf Hakimi and come the first Nigerian winner since Nwankwo Kanu in 1999.
It was a price for helping his club to a first Italian title in 33 times and also scoring constantly for the Super Eagles.
But amid the successes there was also sadness for the 24- time-old, who vended journals and bottles of water in the bustling thoroughfares of Lagos as a teenager to scrounge out a living.
The day that has visited Osimhen for a long time was March 29, 2022, at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.
Before, Nigeria travelled to long- time indigenous rival Ghana and drew 0- 0 in the first of two matches to decide whether the Black Stars of Super Eagles would qualify for the 2022 World Cup.
As Nigerian sympathizers crowded to the public colosseum prospects were high that the home platoon would use that advantage to good effect and secure a place at the tests in Qatar.
But those dreams were shattered as Ghana drew 1- 1 to qualify on down pretensions and deprive Osimhen and his teammates of a place on the global stage.
“We couldn’t have asked for further from our sympathizers in Abuja that night, ” recalled Osimhen to journalists before leaving Italy to join the Cup of Nations team.
“They roared us on from the first whoosh to the last. The noise they created was blaring. but we let them down and that hurt. Nigerians merited better. ”
Now Osimhen believes he has the perfect cure to the moping suffering of sympathizers– Nigeria must win the biennial Mug of Nations a fourth time.
The Super Eagles triumphed at home in 1980, slamming three unanswered pretensions once Algeria, also edged Zambia 2- 1 in Tunis in 1994 and Burkina Faso 1- 0 in Johannesburg in 2013.
Since prostrating the Burkinabe, Nigeria have been on a Cup of Nations rollercoaster, failing to qualify in 2015 and 2017, finishing third in 2019 and making a last- 16 departure two times agone.
Paired with Ivory Coast, Guinea- Bissau and Equatorial Guinea in the first round in Group A, Nigeria is anticipated to dispute first place with the host.
Brigades finishing first and second in each group are guaranteed knockout- stage places and the four best- ranked of the six third- placed sides also progress.
“We’re able of winning this event because the team is packed with players who are performing exceptionally well for their European clubs, ” says Osimhen.
“All of us are hopeless to make up for failing to reach the 2022 World Cup. The only way we can achieve that thing is by wining the Cup of Nations. ”
Ivory Coast, doubly titleholders but duds when they preliminarily hosted the event 40 times agone, have no deficit of stars and Algeria trainer Djamel Belmadi says “ they are the platoon to beat ”.
“We’ll enjoy the support of the entire Ivory Coast nation, which is an inconceivable asset to have, ” says Ivory Coast trainer Jean- Louis Gasset.
Deft tropical Guinea has reached the knockout stage in all three former appearances while Guinea- Bissau, which won a 2024 qualifier in Nigeria, is seeking a first tests palm.
