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Kvicha Kvaratskhelia has been heralded as the second-coming of Diego Maradone to Napoli but here are three reasons why Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen deserves that tag more.
Diego Maradona is undoubtedly the greatest player in the long history of Napoli for his achievements in the seven years he spent at the club including two Serie A titles.
So of course, every player who does well for the club is immediately likened to the late great Argentine but none even moreso than Kvicha Kvaratskhelia.
The skilful Georgian was a key figure in Napoli’s title charge last season, helping them win their first Scudetto since 1990 while also being named Player of the Year in the process, further strengthening the Maradona comparisons.
However, here are three reasons Victor Osimhen is more worthy of the Maradona comparison than his teammate.
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3 Reasons why Victor Osimhen is Napoli's Maradona
1. Victor Osimhen is Napoli’s best player
Diego Maradona was undoubtedly Napoli’s best player for the entirety of his seven years there, especially in the title-winning 1986/87 and 1989/90 seasons.
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And Victor Osimhen is arguably Napoli’s best player right now with Kvicha Kvaratskhelia being the other candidate thanks to his impressive 14 goals and 17 assists tally in all competitions last season.
However, his significant drop in form in the second half of last season lends credence to this argument that his contribution to the achievements of last season (however impressive) pales in comparison to Osimhen’s.
While Kvara failed to score and only registered one assist in the final 11 league games of the season, the same run of games in which Osimhen scored five goals despite missing two of those matches.
Osimhen contributed 31 goals in 39 games in all and already has five goals in seven games this season which should easily make him Napoli’s best player but was only good enough to earn him the Serie A striker of the season award.
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Basically, in terms of importance to the team, Osimhen is closest to what Maradona was for Napoli.
2. Victor Osimhen has the personality
A big part of Diego Maradona’s Napoli legacy goes beyond his exploits on the pitch but also his personality which endeared him to the city of Naples.
Maradona really gravitated to the lifestyle in Naples as did the city to him which he spoke about in his autobiography, ‘Touched by God’.
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“I felt that they loved me, that they really and truly loved me. Naples was a crazy city – they were as crazy as me – soccer was life itself. A lot of things reminded me of my origins. There had been hunger strikes and people had chained themselves to the fence at San Paolo stadium, begging me to come. How could I let them down?”
That level of connection between the player and the city is similar to what Osimhen had with the Napoli fans before the TikTok saga as the player was very vocal about his love and connection to the city.
Compared to Kvaratskhelia who appears more reserved and hardly ever in the news or active on social media beyond his on-field activities, Osimhen is the more outgoing and fun one, a lot like Maradona was in his prime years in Naples.
3. Osimhen is Napoli’s most expensive player
Maradona was signed by Napoli from Barcelona in the summer of 1984 for £6.9 million ($10.48 million) which was a world record fee and by default the most expensive player in the club’s history.
He arrived at the club with much fanfare as he was welcomed by 75,000 fans at his presentation at the Stadio San Paolo.
When Osimhen was signed from Lille in September 2020, Napoli paid €75 million, the most they have ever paid for a player in history.
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The Nigerian didn’t get a big reception and presentation like Maradona mostly because he was signed during the pandemic which saw a lot of games played with no fans in attendance.
Over three years down the line, he still remains the most expensive player in the history of the club and will most likely become their most expensive sale when he leaves the club.
In conclusion, these are just some of the reasons why Victor Osimhen is Napoli’s best player since Diego Maradona.
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