Back home in Nigeria to recover from a broken arm, Victor Osimhen opens up on the legends who put him on the right path and why a Chelsea great once handed him pounds in a hotel room.
Victor Osimhen has named Didier Drogba, Odion Ighalo and John Obi Mikel as the footballers who had the greatest impact on his development, crediting them with helping steer him toward the top of the African game. The Galatasaray striker made the revelation during a late-night Twitch livestream with comedian Carter Efe on Saturday.
Osimhen is currently in Nigeria nursing a fractured right forearm he sustained during Galatasaray’s UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg at Anfield on Wednesday. He played through the injury for the entire first half before medical staff pulled him at the break, with the Turkish giants eventually losing 4-0 on the night and bowing out 4-1 on aggregate.
Drogba: The Blueprint
When asked to name his biggest inspiration, Osimhen did not hesitate. “I attribute all my success to God. And there are some people who are human beings who put me on the right path,” he said. “In terms of football, everybody knows I draw my inspiration from Didier Drogba.”
The Ivory Coast legend’s influence on a generation of African strikers is well documented, but hearing it directly from one of the continent’s best players today underscores just how far Drogba’s shadow stretches. Osimhen, who grew up in Lagos watching African stars light up European football, clearly modelled the aggressive, physical style that has made him so difficult to stop at club level.
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Ighalo: A Visit Home and a Lifelong Bond
Osimhen revealed he paid a visit to Odion Ighalo at his home on Friday, just hours before the livestream. The admiration he holds for Nigeria’s record goalscorer was clear. “He is someone I love and respect so much and I know the impact he has played in my career,” Osimhen said. He described Ighalo as “a great football player, a big legend” and singled him out as one of the few people in football who has genuinely changed his life.
It is a bond that goes back years. Long before Osimhen was leading the line for the Super Eagles, he was watching Ighalo do exactly that, game after game. “Even before I got into the Super Eagles, Ighalo has always been running the show for the Super Eagles,” he said. New Bet9ja users can take advantage of the Bet9ja’s YOHAIG code to get started with an enhanced opening bonus ahead of the next Super Eagles fixture.
Mikel: The Generosity of a Legend
The story Osimhen told about John Obi Mikel was both candid and touching. During his first appearance at a Super Eagles camp, the young striker knocked on Mikel’s door after dinner. The Chelsea legend’s response was immediate. “He asked me to come to his room and he sent me money. I can’t say how much he gave me but he gave me pounds,” Osimhen recalled.
It is the kind of gesture that rarely makes headlines but can define a young player’s sense of belonging in a national setup. Mikel, widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s greatest midfielders, clearly saw potential in the teenager and acted on it.
Osimhen also spoke warmly about growing up watching the generation before him. “When we were young and used to watch Super Eagles matches, we used to watch Kanu Nwankwo, Okocha, Mikel Obi,” he said, painting a picture of a boy in Lagos with his eyes glued to the screen, dreaming of the green jersey.
Those dreams are now a reality, even if his immediate focus is on recovering in time to salvage what remains of a Galatasaray season that is still alive in the Turkish league title race. Fans curious about staking on the run-in can find all the details they need on the Bet9ja sign-up bonus before the games pile up.
📌 Did You Know?
- Osimhen scored seven Champions League goals for Galatasaray this season, making him one of the most prolific strikers in the competition’s 2025/26 edition despite playing for a Turkish club.
- Didier Drogba won the CAF African Player of the Year award four times (2006, 2009, 2011, 2012) — a record he shares with Samuel Eto’o. Osimhen won it in 2023, becoming only the third Nigerian after Nwankwo Kanu (1996, 1999) and Jay-Jay Okocha (2004) to claim the honour.
- Odion Ighalo holds Nigeria’s all-time international goalscoring record with 40 goals in 65 appearances, a tally Osimhen is still chasing down.
- John Obi Mikel earned over 100 caps for the Super Eagles and won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria before lifting Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League trophies at Chelsea.
- Osimhen missed Nigeria’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification after the Super Eagles were eliminated in a playoff against DR Congo, meaning he will not feature at a World Cup despite being in the prime of his career.
- Galatasaray remain four points clear at the top of the Turkish Süper Lig as of March 2026, meaning Osimhen could still return in time to help his club win a league title even with the arm injury.
- Victor Osimhen joined Galatasaray on loan from Napoli in the summer of 2024 after a protracted transfer saga that saw him linked with clubs across Europe and the Middle East. His Champions League performances this season reignited that transfer speculation heading into the summer window.
