Hakimi deserves the award: Osimhen responds to internet troll disputing his CAF POTY

Less than 48 hours after putting his incredible technique on display with an incredible assist in Napoli’s victory over Cagliari and earning plaudits from the football world, Super Eagles ace Victor Osimhen has had to defend the deservedness of his CAF POTY gong against denigrating internet trolls.

As Pulse Sports reported, Osimhen shrugged off competition from Egypt’s Mohammed Salah and Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi to win the African Footballer of the Year Award, ending a 24-year wait for a Nigerian to receive the award.

Prior to his coronation, Osimhen was viewed as the overwhelming favourite for the top prize in African football, and receiving the award a week ago felt just right. However, not everyone agrees.

Basking in his glory, the Serie A champion shared a picture where he posed with the CAF Player of the Year Award, and while an overwhelming number of comments were positive and of a congratulatory tone, there were some dissenting voices.

One such user was a tweeter who believed Paris Saint-Germain right-back Hakimi was more deserving of the award. The challenger broadcast his disapproval via the comment section of Osimhen’s post, saying, “Hakimi deserves this award more for his contribution to our continent in taking his home team to the World Cup semi-finals.”

The comment had been viewed by 25,000 people at the time of writing, including Victor Osimhen and the 24-year-old unexpectedly retaliated with a flagrant meme. 

While Osimhen’s intention for the commenter cannot be concretely determined, the depiction of the ‘Pepe’ meme was suicidal; as in a dismissive ‘kill yourself’ Nigerians colloquially use shutdown perceived hate.