AFCON 2023: Victor Osimhen Faces Intense Pressure – Can He Thrive

Virtually every football enthusiast in Nigeria believes that Osimhen is Nigeria’s game-changer at the tournament. Pundits and even critics believe that if the Napoli striker fails to perform, the Super Eagles might not go far in the tournament.

The fact that Osimhen played a major role in helping Napoli win the Scudetto for the first time in 33 years last season after scoring 26 goals and providing five assists made him a little god in this current era.

This outlook is also a pressure on not only him but on the entire Super Eagles squad.

“We have the King of Africa in our team, obviously the pressure will be much”, the captain of the Super Eagles, Ahmed Musa said during their pre-match press conference on Saturday, January 13.

Initially, the rise of Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface was expected to reduce the pressure on Osimhen. Unfortunately, less than six days into the tournament, the 23-year-old striker got injured and withdrew from the team.

Boniface has been replaced by OGC Nice striker, Terem Moffi, and injured Umar Sadiq has been replaced by Paul Onuachu who are also good strikers, but they can’t bring the kind of fear Boniface would have brought against opponents based on his current form.