Super Eagles of Nigeria international Victor Osimhen has described his encounter with an unnamed senior player in Kelechi Iheanacho’s room while on national team duty in 2017.
The striker, currently sideline from a fractured arm suffered against Liverpool in midweek, relived the memory in a Livestream with streamer Carter Efe on Saturday.
Osimhen got his first call-up to the Super Eagles in 2016 for a dead-rubber AFCON qualifier in Uyo.
He made his debut against South Africa in 2027 as an 18 years old upcoming striker, and the Lagos-born striker has revealed his unsavoury experience with a senior player who was roommate with Iheanacho in camp.
Osimhen, still trying to find his feet at Wolfsburg, approached Iheanacho, then a regular for Manchester City and later Leicester in the same year, to get football boots from the attacking midfielder.
Osimhen revealed that while Iheanacho agreed to hand him the boots later in his room, he got bounced by the roommate who opened the door, but for Iheanacho’s intervention.
“When I came [to Super Eagles camp], I met Iheanacho and I told him, ‘I’m going to carry your boots’, so he gave me his room number.
“When I reached his room and knocked the door, the [unnamed] roommate opened and bounced me [from entering the room]. But Iheanacho intervened, told off the player, and questioned why he would prevent a player who came to greet him from entering the room. “Iheanacho then took me by the hand and dragged me into the room,” Osimhen said.
Following his debut in 2017, Osimhen has been a consistent performer for Nigeria, with 32 goals in 65 appearances, and the Galatasaray striker was also named the vice-captain on the eve of AFCON 2025 in January.
According to Carter Efe, fans are still rooting for Osimhen, who regards Didier Drogba as his mentor, to join Chelsea where the Ivory Coast striker enjoys legendary status.