“We all witnessed it” – Nigerians spit fire as Victor Osimhen reveals Napoli treatment

Super Eagles and Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen has reopened old wounds surrounding his Napoli exit, and Nigerians have responded with support, Afrik Foot reports.

Napoli signed Osimhen in 2020 for a club-record €75m fee, and the 27-year-old repaid that faith by spearheading their historic 2022/2023 Scudetto triumph, scoring 26 league goals that ended a 33-year league title drought. However, what followed, according to the striker, left a bitter taste.

Speaking ahead of Galatasaray’s UEFA Champions League clash against Juventus, Osimhen revealed that things changed irreparably after Napoli posted a controversial TikTok video mocking him for missing a penalty.

“I feel sorry for the fans, also because I never spoke about what happened before,” Osimhen said in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.

“Some of them even came to my house asking for an explanation. I asked them to put themselves in my shoes. After Napoli posted that video on TikTok, something broke.

“They took the opportunity to turn the fans against me. And to think that, for me, my daughter is more Neapolitan than Nigerian.

“Anyone can miss a penalty, and anyone can be mocked for it. Napoli did it only to me, and with certain kinds of insinuations as well. I was the victim of racist insults, and I made my decision. I wanted to leave,” the 2023 CAF Player of the Year said.

Osimhen said he deleted photos of himself in a Napoli shirt from Instagram, after which he felt the club allowed the narrative to turn against him.

Nigerians reacted to Osimhen’s ill-treatment at Napoli

Away from the racist connotations directed at the former VfL Wolfsburg man, Osimhen also had a gentleman’s agreement with Napoli in place in case of an exit, but the club turned on him when an offer came.

“We had a gentleman’s agreement according to which I could leave the following summer, but the commitment was not fully respected on the other side.

“They tried to send me anywhere to play, but they treated me like a dog. Go here, go there, do this, do that.

“I worked so hard to build my career, and I couldn’t accept that kind of treatment. I’m not a puppet,” Osimhen retorted.

But the many who seemingly want better for the player than the player keep condemning him for making a move that was clearly a last resort.

Transfers are never straightforward. Osimhen’s fault in all of this could be signing that renewal with Napoli but even that is easy to say… https://t.co/2TkUkWvnxC

— Rilwan Balogun (@Real1_balogun) February 17, 2026

In light of the new information, Nigerians reacted to how Napoli treated the Super Eagles’ second-highest goalscorer.

“Transfers are never straightforward. Osimhen’s fault in all of this could be signing that renewal with Napoli, but even that is easy to say from my living room. You don’t want better for the player than the player. It’s his weight to carry,” Rilwan Balogun said.

Political commentator J.J. Omojuwa criticised Nigerians who blamed Osimhen for his eventual switch to Turkey, knowing it wasn’t what was planned, but what was presented as his only escape route from Naples.

“Some Nigerian fans, out of hatred for Victor Osimhen, pretend that he woke up one morning and decided, ‘Turkey or nothing!’

“This, despite everything playing out in the open as Napoli repeatedly blocked his path to everywhere else until Galatasaray was the last club standing.”

Another fan compared the saga to Ademola Lookman’s situation in Italy, claiming African stars are often undervalued or blocked from preferred moves.

Same thing happened to Lookman

Atalanta clearly never wanted him to go to INTER https://t.co/LCnF3KNPEm

— Football Einstein (@Africa_ftbl) February 17, 2026

One user on X, Viktor, wrote: “We all witnessed it. It started when Kvara got all the praise when they won the league, despite Osimhen scoring the highest number of goals.

“The club and its leaders just couldn’t stand the sight of a black man being their best player, pure and unhidden racism.”

Osimhen initially departed Napoli on a loan deal to Galatasaray, before the deal was made permanent in the summer. In 65 games for Okan Buruk’s side, the Nigerian has scored 52 goals and provided ten assists across all competitions.