Osimhen could finally unlock Napoli’s Serie A title potential and walk in Maradona’s shoes

When Victor Osimhen signed for Napoli in a big money move in the region of €80 million from Lille last year, there was definitely a lot on his shoulders. How he was going to deliver was the next question.

The 22-year-old Nigerian’s first season was not what many expected after having a slow start to life, injury problems and being hit with coronavirus. Regardless of all these, Osimhen still managed to score 10 goals in 24 Serie A outings

This season however, Osimhen has started with a bang. Even a one-game suspension from a straight red card he received against Venezia has not undeterred him as he has recorded six goals in six competitive games, the six coming in his last four outings. This is just four shy of his tally from last season and so long Osimhen doesn’t lose his guard, he’s looking certain of surpassing that tally and doing much greater things.

It’s not a surprise for many seeing the Ultimate Strikers Academy graduate and his raw talent. It’s easy to see Nigerians blossom during their youth like Macauley Chrisantus did only to fade out and not be what many expected.

That’s not looking likely for Osimhen. He is consistently getting better at his craft with his finishing, shot power composure and even defensive contribution, a joy to see.

With all these falling in place for Osimhen, Napoli could finally be primed to win the Serie A title they’ve been eluded to for long. They have been runners-up four times in since the 2012-13 season, sporting great players like Edinson Cavani, Marek Hamsik, Gonzalo Higuain, and came very close to winning it in 2017-18, but lost by a hair’s breath.

It’s however looking like a different ball game with Napoli having a strong start to the season with six wins from six, conceding just two goals, which sees them maintain pole position on the log, two points clear of AC Milan.

One might say they’ve been in this position before, that’s true, but the difference here is that their challengers such as Juventus and Inter Milan are not in the best of shape with doubts raised over their title winning credentials.

Also, Napoli can have a good crack at winning the Europa League, a competition they last won in 1989 when it was called Uefa Cup, with the legendary Diego Maradona pulling all the strings at the club. Their group opener at Leicester City where Osimhen scored a late equalizer in the 2-2 draw is a test of how far the Nigerian can help the team. With the Partenopei as the competition’s favorite to lift the title according to bookies, they are truly within reach of lifting Europe’s second tier competition.

Speaking of Maradona, Osimhen has been often associated with the late Argentine maestro whose presence single-handedly transformed the reputation of Napoli forever. Without him, there wouldn’t have been Serie A titles in 1987 and 1990 and the 1989 Uefa Cup title, all more than enough to immortalize him.

Since then, Napoli have had greats like Maradona, Cavani, Hamsik and Higuain as previously mentioned, but they just never came close to winning something major except the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana which aren’t strong stand-alone honors compared to a league or European title.

Should Napoli win the Serie A or Europa League or possibly both with Osimhen’s large imprint on it, there would no be denying he would have walked his way up to legendary status, faster than anyone else in the club’s history.

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Kunle is an avid writer with interest in topics on sports, politics and health. His articles have featured in Goal.com, Opera News and Vanguard News. He holds a Bachelors and Masters degree in International Relations and is an advocate for people living with Hydrocephalus and other neurological conditions.

Follow him on Twitter: @kfayiga

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