‘I don't like to lose’ — Super Eagles striker Osimhen admits losing gets him upset

Ahead of Galatasaray's UEFA Champions League second leg against Juventus in Turin on Wednesday, Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen sat down and offered his most honest public remarks yet and in doing so, explained everything the world has been watching.

"I always try to motivate my teammates, and anything I ask of them I also ask of myself," Osimhen said. "Talent alone is never enough. You have to work very hard.”

Those who watched Osimhen furiously berate his teammates on the pitch after Galatasaray's 5-2 first leg victory over Juventus now have their explanation. 

Those who felt the weight of Galatasaray's shock 2-0 defeat to Konyaspor last weekend, a result that arrived directly because Osimhen was absent, now understand the full picture.

“I'll be straight with you, I don't like to lose. I get upset after every match where we can't do what we want,”. He continued. 

“But I don't want you to misunderstand me. We have to carry it forward hand in hand, because I love Galatasaray so much."

This is not a striker who separates his emotions from his performances. He carries every result personally, demands the highest standards from everyone around him, and refuses to accept anything less than complete commitment, including from himself.

"Anything I ask of them I also ask of myself." That single line is why his teammates respect rather than resent him. 

Leaders who hold themselves to the same standard they demand of others earn a different kind of authority in a dressing room. 

Osimhen has built that authority not through words but through minutes of relentless pressing, physical battles, and refusal to accept defeat in any individual contest across every match he plays.

But Osimhen was careful to provide the other half of the picture. The fury, he insisted, comes from love, not frustration with his teammates as individuals, but a deep investment in what this Galatasaray side can become.

"I love Galatasaray so much." Simple, direct, and entirely consistent with everything the Nigerian has shown since arriving in Istanbul. 

The city has embraced him as their king. He has embraced the city in return and the club's ambitions, with everything he has.

That combination of fury and love is what separates good players from genuinely great ones.

Galatasaray travel to the Juventus Stadium on Wednesday holding a commanding 5-2 advantage from the first leg at the Rams Park. 

Osimhen, who missed last weekend's Süper Lig defeat to Konyaspor with a knee complaint, has been confirmed fit by manager Okan Buruk and will return to the starting XI.

For Juventus, the task is enormous. They must overturn a three-goal deficit against a side that, when Osimhen is fit and firing, is one of the most difficult teams in Europe to contain.

The man himself, as he made clear on Tuesday, will not be arriving in Turin for a formality. He will be arriving to win. That is the only way he knows.