Osimhen Faked Injury To Miss Nigeria’s Game Against South Africa?

When the Nigerian national team announced on its social media pages that Victor Osimhen was ruled out of the crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier matches against South Africa and Benin Republic on June 7 and 10, respectively, fans of the three-time African champions were not pleased with the news.

However, certain fans have accused the Napoli striker of deliberately faking the injury to miss out on the games.

It is understandable that the fans are angered because Victor Osimhen is the best player in Africa at the moment and has proved decisive for the Super Eagles in crucial moments such as the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire, where he was selfless and abandoned the chase for personal laurels for the betterment of the team by working hard on and off the pitch.

Osimhen scored only once at the AFCON but won two crucial penalties against Ivory Coast in the group stage and South Africa in the semi-final.

Related: Is Osimhen’s Time At Napoli Over?

He also assisted Ademola Lookman’s first goal in the round of 16 against Cameroon, which rounds up his goal involvement in the tournament to four.

Osimhen could have opted to take the penalties he won to improve his goal tally, but he was always seen showing strong support to captain Troost-Ekong as he converted the spot kicks, which was instrumental to him being named the Player of the Tournament.

The accusations that he faked the injury are out of line, as the former Lille OSC of France striker always plays with full commitment each time he wears the green and white jersey of the Super Eagles.

Osimhen has repeatedly said that he sees the opportunity to play for the Super Eagles as a “privilege.”

Apart from arguing on the lines of patriotism, Osimhen has always aimed for glory in his career and knows better than fans the need to play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup and possibly win it.

He knows that he is the star of the Super Eagles and heavily relied upon.

Would he deliberately ruin his chances of playing in the biggest football tournament in the world?

Osimhen is ruled out for four weeks and will possibly make a summer switch from Napoli.

Top European sides like Real Madrid, PSG, Chelsea, and Arsenal have all been linked to the former Sporting Charleroi star.