){kind=small}
Bundesl){kind=logo}
M05
){kind=logo}
HSV
){kind=small}
Serie A){kind=logo}
SAS
){kind=small}
VER
){kind=small}
Ligue 1){kind=small}
B29
){kind=small}
OM
){kind=small}
LaLiga){kind=small}
ATH
){kind=logo}
ELC
){kind=small}
RSO
){kind=logo}
OVI
){kind=logo}
JUV
){kind=small}
COMO
){kind=logo}
KOE
){kind=logo}
TSG
){kind=small}
FCB
){kind=logo}
SGE
){kind=logo}
FCU
){kind=logo}
B04
){kind=logo}
WOB
){kind=logo}
FCA
){kind=small}
Premier){kind=small}
AVL
){kind=logo}
LEE
){kind=small}
BRE
){kind=logo}
BHA
){kind=logo}
CHE
){kind=small}
BUR
){kind=small}
NPFL){kind=logo}
WWF
){kind=small}
WIK
){kind=small}
RST
){kind=logo}
BET
){kind=small}
RAY
){kind=logo}
LENS
){kind=small}
ASM
){kind=logo}
LEC
){kind=small}
INT
){kind=small}
RBL
){kind=small}
BVB
){kind=small}
WHU
){kind=small}
BOU
AFCON 2025
)
Super Eagles ace Victor Osimhen narrated the impact the passing of his father had on him.
Super Eagles star Victor Osimhen recently told a disheartening story from his time in Ligue 1 in which he was prevented from travelling to see his dying father.
The 27-year-old father died on Saturday, May 23 2020, and Osimhen put out a short, succinct tweet which read, “RIP Dad. No words to describe this feeling.”
Six years after the fact, Osimhen now has the words for it, narrating how emotionally distraught his father’s passing left him, especially because he was not allowed to say goodbye in person.
What Osimhen said
The Galatasaray star told the story on the Players' Tribune, revealing that Lille prioritised their business interest over his need to be with family at a distressful time.
“When I moved from Wolfsburg to Lille a few years later, his health started failing,” Osimhen said about his father. “I was away all the time.
“Then, during the beginning of COVID, he went into the hospital. I was stuck in France, all alone. Football was shut down. The airports were shut down. I was calling my agent, trying to arrange a private flight to Nigeria.
)
“I even got clearance from the aviation authority to land. I just needed the club and my agent to say I could leave. I was waiting, waiting, waiting. He was getting worse. So I started panicking. I was calling every hour, begging them.
“But that’s when I started to understand the dark side of football. The business. They wanted to sell me, you see? They were discussing a transfer. So my former agent kept telling me, ‘Well, it’s complicated. Just wait. Just wait.’
“I was going crazy. I couldn’t sleep. One morning, I woke up and I left my phone downstairs to take a shower. I’ll never forget, I got out of the shower …. and I had a picture of my mother next to my bed, always. I looked at the picture, and I just got a feeling. I started crying. I thought, 'Something is wrong.' Something is so wrong.
“I went downstairs and I had 20 missed calls from my family. I called my brother back on FaceTime, and he said, ‘He’s gone.’ Then he turned the camera and showed me my father. You should say goodbye.”
The loss left an impact on Osimhen and it helped realign his priorities. He reacted adversely after the news and needed to be pacified by a neighbour who heard his outburst.
)
“I remember I threw the phone and I just went crazy. I tore up the entire house. Smashed everything. I was out of my mind. The noise made my neighbours come over to check on me, and I love my neighbours. They were like family to me when I was alone in France. The guy was trying to calm me down, telling me that there’s so much to live for.
“For 5 or 6 hours, he stayed with me, and he probably stopped me from doing something stupid. I just felt so guilty because all of his children and grandchildren were there with him. Only one person was not by his side. Me. I was so angry. I snapped. I thought, if this is football, then what is the point? I just want to be with my family.”