In a few hours he will face the Juventus with the shirt of Galatasaray, in "his" Istanbul. But in Victor's heart and memory Victor Osimhen it remains an intense and tormented story with the Naples, closed between controversies and wounds that have never fully healed.
"I found a club and a city I love, maybe it was a stroke of luck. As soon as you arrive in Istanbul, you understand why everyone who's played here has fallen in love with the team and the people. I've never experienced anything like it.", says the striker, looking ahead to the new European challenge. "It will be exciting to face a top club. We know that any mistake can be very costly."
Then the gaze returns to the past. "I wasn't happier in Naples.", he confesses. The breaking point was linked to the video published by the club after a missed penalty. "After that TikTok video, something broke completely. Anyone can miss a penalty, but Napoli only made that kind of joke about me. I was the victim of racist insults, and I made my decision: I wanted to leave."
Osimhen: "I could have gone to Juve, but De Laurentiis..."
Osimhen dismisses the rumors that have circulated in the following months. "They said I was late, that I was fighting with my classmates. All lies. No one ever apologized publicly.". And on the relationship with the management he adds: "We had a gentlemen's agreement to leave the following summer, but the other side didn't fully keep their promise. They tried to send me everywhere, treating me like a dog. I'm not a puppet."
Juventus, however, could have been his destiny. "Giuntoli called me before the negotiations with Galatasaray. I spoke to people at the club, and they showed interest. And when Juve calls you, you have to sit down and listen." Strong words, but not for everyone. Respect remains intact towards Luciano Spalletti.
"People said we argued, but that wasn't true. I have a lot of respect for him. He worked day and night to convince us we could win the Scudetto. He expected a lot, but he gave you so much. Some coaches help you grow as a man first, and then as a footballer." And also on Antonio Conte clarifies: "He called me into his office and told me he wanted me to stay. I explained that I would have liked to work with him, but I had already made my choice. I didn't want to continue working in a place where I wasn't happy."
The bitterness about the relationship with the fans remains. "I feel sorry for them. Some of them came to my house to ask for explanations. I understand and admire them: for them, Napoli comes first." On the eve of the match against Juventus, Osimhen defines himself without hesitation: "I'm among the best center forwards around. If I'm not number one, I'm number two. Or at most number three."
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
Comments (1)
I don't know if it's right for Osimhen to speak like this about Napoli, because ultimately he was a great player there. Perhaps he should have thought more about how things went before making such public statements that could hurt the fans.