- Judith Akatugba
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As the final whistle blew at the Stadio Friuli in Udine, the streets of Naples erupted into a frenzy of celebration. The scoreboard displayed a 1-1 draw, but that was all they needed. With that draw, Napoli clinched their first Serie A title in more than 30 years.
To many, it was just a goal but in Naples, the entire city had come alive with the colours of blue and white, the colours of the football club, cheers, chants and car horns blaring.
Among the ecstatic crowd was the famed Neapolitan actor, Franscesco Paolantoni. Known for his humorous and charismatic roles, Paolantoni, in a burst of uninhibited joy, decided to join the revellers who were walking the streets naked–an act that would later become legendary in the annals of Napoli’s history.
Meanwhile, at the Dacia Arena stadium in Udine, the home fans were in a state of bewilderment. They had witnessed an intense match, and the chants of Victor Osimhen, a young and immensely talented Nigerian striker, by the victory-drunk Napoli fans were heard even from outside the stadium.
Victor Osimhen’s victory was not merely about a football match won; it was about the dreams of an entire city coming true. On this day, he became a symbol of hope and inspiration for the Napolitans, a hero whose name would be passed down through generations.
Other than that, Osimhen’s goal meant that he now matched the record set by George Weah for the highest number of goals scored by an African player in Serie A. Additionally, it surpassed Samuel Eto’o’s record for the most goals scored by an African player in a single Serie A season.
Back in Nigeria, thousands of kilometres away, Nigerian football lovers were celebrating with equal fervour. Victor Osimhen was one of their own, a young boy from Lagos who rode on to achieve greatness on the football pitch.
The Man, The Vision
Nicknamed “Mister Hat-trick” by Naples and “Odosi” by his neighbours, Victor’s journey to success has been anything but easy. From scavenging refuse dumps, washing gutters for N20, selling oranges, fetching water, and living at the Christ Embassy church premises for months to playing in one of Europe’s top football leagues, he tells Unconventional that his obstacles in Nigeria’s “face me I face you” apartment were enough to motivate him to succeed.
“I remember when I was younger and one of my sisters, Joy, was wailing. She said that a neighbour had said that the ‘one room’ we were staying in was where we were going to die. It was sad because she is emotional and I had to encourage her.”
If this didn’t rattle the young Osimhen, the cruel tactics of his landlord did. In one of the houses where they lived, the landlord, determined to force them out, tore down the roof of their home, turning the room into a refuse ground whilst they were still living in it.
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As he spoke to Unconventional, he recalled another incident, one that cut deeper than the rest. His father, like many others, had fallen victim to the harsh realities of the Nigerian economy, losing his means of livelihood. Despite this reality, a man scolding him said to him, “Very soon, my father is going to come to ask for food so he can feed us. It was so sad because I was a young
boy at the time.” But adversity had a curious way of steering Victor’s resolve rather than breaking it.
To escape the harsh realities of home, he would venture out kicking a worn-out ball with dreams that soared higher than the city’s skyline. But even the simplest of football essentials, a pair of soccer boots, were elusive luxuries. His elder brother, Andrew, who had quit football to support his family, sacrificed three months of savings to purchase Victor his first boots. He says dejectedly that those boots, which he describes as one of his most treasured gifts, are no longer in his possession.
With no money to buy boots, he decided to focus on picking up menial jobs to survive. In a twist of fate, his landlord’s son who believed in his dreams offered a helping hand. “I told him to split it. ‘If you can get me food because that is what I am lacking, I’d try to buy the boots myself.’ So he was giving me food, morning, afternoon and night.”
Amid life’s trials, one figure shone brightly in Victor’s path – Mrs Augustina Atanda, his Games Master at his secondary school: Oregun Senior High School in Lagos’s capital. With an unwavering passion for nurturing talent and a promise to his father to mentor him, she used her resources to fund the school’s football team, providing a lifeline for a budding talent like Victor.
Years rolled by, and with each game and each goal, Victor’s star ascended. Over a hundred goals later, the 2023 CAF Player of the Year and Series A Player of the 2022/23 season of the AIC Oscar del Calcio Award, is a source of inspiration for those who dare to dream.
Celebrating this journey with him is Stefanie Kim Ladewig, his primary cheerleader and mother of his daughter. Although the 22-year-old German-Cameroonian prefers to live a quiet life, her endearing push for her lover continues to yield positive results on the pitch and in his daily life.
Speaking to the Unconventional about his recent recognitions, she said, “The awards are well deserved. He worked so hard last season because he really wanted to win the titles and he did that. He gave his all just as any king would for their people.”
Looking back on the series of events that catapulted him to stardom, he says that God’s hand has always been in it.
“I think everything was a part of God’s plan; to live in this environment when no one believed in me and my family. God alone executes his plans as he deems fit. I am grateful because I never gave up on life and my dreams,” he told Unconventional.
The Man
What can Osimhen not do?
As shown in his love for the game, Osimhen’s passion is revealed in everything he puts his mind to. Well, except for one thing: Osimhen strongly believes that there is another career path he would have successfully scaled if he wasn’t playing football. While I think comedy seems like a natural for him given the track record of his tweets, Osimhen proudly proclaims an even more audacious venture: music. Full of praises for Olamide, an award-winning Nigerian musician, and Drake. Unconventional, always up for a challenge, tells him to rap in one take, using the words “Victor and Football”. He fails at it woefully BUT does a good job dancing using the legwork technique, Zanku.
To be fair, we all know that with a little more willpower from the football sensation, Osimhen will in no time dominate the studio sessions if he sets his mind on it. After all, he has demonstrated that with perseverance, faith, and a little magic, unconventional dreams can, indeed, come true.
