…Breaks 125-years Serie A record to win Golden Boot award
.Shows off daughter with trademark face mask
By Rasaq Oboirien
Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen becomes the first African player in the 125-year history of the Italian top-flight to win the Serie A Golden Boot.
The Nigerian who was on target as champion, Napoli beats Sampdoria 2-0 on the final day of the Serie A season, claimed the Golden Boot with 26 goals, five more than anyone else, while Napoli ended the season with a 16-point gap to second -placed Lazio.
Osimhen eclipses his childhood hero, George Weah (now President of Liberia) as the highest scoring African player of all time in Serie A. The Napoli forward was handed his Serie A Best Striker award before the match against Sampdoria.
Osimhen also had plenty to celebrate against Sampdoria at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. His team had won the Serie A title for the first time in 33 years, so as is tradition, Napoli players came out for the final match of the campaign with their children and the Nigerian had a special surprise, as his baby daughter was wearing a miniature version of his face mask.
The mask has become his trademark and is worn by children all over Naples eager to copy their hero, while even mopeds, cars and trucks are painted with a mask shape in his honour.
“I’m happy for this award. It’s amazing feeling for me, I won the Scudetto, which is the most important thing in my career so far. I am grateful to God for this season, for my teammates, my family, for the Neapolitans and they deserve all of this,” Osimhen told DAZN as he was handed the Capocannoniere trophy.
Nobody had been able to combine the Capocannoniere crown with the Scudetto since Zlatan Ibrahimovic for Inter in 2009.
“This season has been brilliant for me, my teammates and the Neapolitans.”
I think I’ve done so well this season and deserve every good thing I’ve got, but I feel motivated to do even more next season.
“Everything is possible. Just like when we started the season, lots of people didn’t believe in Napoli. If the President says we can win it, I believe it, everything is possible.”
Meanwhile, Chelsea is trying to convince Osimhen to come to the club despite the absence from the Champions League. The club is working on providing as much cash as possible in order to finance his huge transfer, which could cost up to €130 million.
