Osimhen snubbed as Napoli celebrate heroes of famous Serie A triumph

Napoli recently took to social media to celebrate the anniversary of their historic 2023 Serie A title, but the absence of their former star striker was impossible to ignore.

Despite his legendary status in Naples, the club's official tribute omitted Victor Osimhen entirely, reigniting the bitter controversy that defined his departure.

The Partenopei shared a series of throwback images on Instagram to commemorate the day they clinched the Scudetto, 04.05.23, ending a painful 30-year drought.

While the post featured key figures like campaign MVP Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Kim Min-Jae, and captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo, there was no sign of the man who served as the team's undisputed talisman.

During that 2022/23 season, Osimhen was the league's top scorer with 26 goals and famously netted the equaliser against Udinese that mathematically sealed the championship.

By excluding him from the ProudToBeNapoli gallery, the club's hierarchy have signalled that the bridge between them and the Super Eagles star remains firmly burnt.

The snub follows explosive comments from Osimhen regarding his "moment of no return" at the club in 2024.

Earlier this year, the Nigerian striker detailed how a broken gentleman's agreement and a lack of respect led to his exit. The situation peaked when the club's official TikTok account posted a video mocking his missed penalty against Bologna, which Osimhen claims sparked a wave of racist abuse.

"After the club’s TikTok, everything changed," he revealed, adding, "I was insulted, and no one ever apologised. I was a victim of racist insults: they treated me like a dog! I'm not a puppet."

Osimhen eventually deleted all Napoli-related photos from his own social media, a move that mirrored the club's recent cold shoulder.

While the Super Eagles star has since thrived in Turkey, leading Galatasaray to a league and cup double, his erasure from Napoli’s official history serves as a stark reminder of how quickly a hero can become a villain in the eyes of football clubs.