Victor Osimhen, a striker for the Super Eagles, has stated that he has proven his doubters wrong.
The 23-year-old is having a tremendous season in Serie A, scoring 12 goals in 23 games thus far.
Osimhen’s goal-scoring form was jeopardized in November when he suffered a facial injury that necessitated surgery.
It was the injury that forced him to withdraw from the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon when Nigeria was knocked out in the Round of 16 by Tunisia. In January, he returned to duty for Napoli, this time wearing a protective mask.
“From the moment I had my surgery, I read some people saying ‘The season is over for him’,” Osimhen said as quoted by BBC Sport Africa.
“‘When he comes back, he wouldn’t go head-to-head with a defender’. ‘Even with a mask, he cannot nod the ball’ and stuff like that.
“Most of all those doubts are actually a motivation to me. Because I know myself and I know the kind of heart that I’ve got. To be able to be back and keep the goals coming is a big thing for me.
“I appreciate people that have worked so hard with me to make sure I’m okay even when I had the surgery and everything. They probably doubted me returning to my best because of the impact the facial incident could’ve had on my mental health.”
