Victor Osimhen is having a sublime 2023. The Napoli and Super Eagles striker has grown in reputation this year and is being mentioned in the same breath as some of the best strikers on the planet.
The 24-year-old has reached world class status and he has the numbers and silverware to show for it. In terms of goal scoring numbers, the Nigerian is leading the race for the top scorer in Europe in this calendar year.
Most goals in Europe's top-five leagues in 2023:
🇳🇬 Victor Osimhen – 19
🏴 Harry Kane – 18
🇳🇴 Erling Haaland – 17
🇦🇷 Lautaro Martinez – 14
🏴 Callum Wilson – 13The Only worthy Balloon D'or candidate pic.twitter.com/llIItUqhot
— Emirates UG 🖌️ (@Ugnwachukwu36) August 20, 2023
With 19 goals so far in 2023, Victor Osimhen has scored more goals than the likes of Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Lautaro Martinez in the top scorer rankings. The Super Eagles forward is on fire and could end the season as the top scorer in the calendar year of 2023 if he continues his current form and performances.
Already, this year has provided Osimhen with his first major trophy as a professional footballer and it has also been the year where he broke records.
The former Lille striker helped end Napoli’s three decade long wait for a Scudetto as they became champions of Italy in the 2022/2023 season. It was a year he became the top scorer of the division and was named on the Serie A team of the season.
He also ended last season by setting a new record for the most goals in a Serie A season as well as becoming the highest scoring African player in Serie A history ny surpassing the former Ballon d’Or winner, George Weah.
Victor Osimhen starts the new season with a bang
On Saturday evening, Osimhen’s Napoli team started their Serie A campaign and title defense against Frosinone away from home.
Their opponents took an early lead through a penalty which was scored by Harroui in the seventh minute. This goal put the champions on the back foot early on but they showed the character of champions and got back into the game.
Matteo Politano scored the equalizer for the Italian Champions before Victor Osimhen scored two goals to take the lead and make the result safe. The comeback victory showed why Napoli we're champions in the first place and further proved Victor Osimhen’s class as a striker.
There are few players better than him in football today and the consistency of his performance in the calendar year of 2023 has shown that.
For his national team, there are still AFCON qualifiers to play (although Nigeria have qualified for the tournament next year) and FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign which will begin. Osimhen will definitely lead the line for his country and will be expected to replicate his club form for the Super Eagles. With the way he's playing at the moment, you can't put it past him.
As physically imposing as Osimhen is, he is an injury prone player. It is probably the only weakness his game has as a player at the moment. With less fitness issues, we may get one of the greatest goal scoring seasons from an African player in Europe’s top five Leagues.
This article was most recently revised and updated 2 months ago
