Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has officially tendered an apology to Nigerians for their failure to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, vowing that the squad would compensate their teeming fans with consistently great performances in all their matches from now.
The Super Eagles were paired with their regional rivals Ghana in the final round of qualifiers. In the first leg in Kumasi, the two teams played out a goalless draw. In Abuja, the Black Stars held their hosts to a one-all draw and as a result qualified for the prestigious global competition on the away-goal rule.
The Napoli striker has appreciated the support received by the fans in the play-offs.
“Firstly, I need to say a very big thank you to the fans, even when we were in Ghana, the way the fans turned up and everything,” Osimhen told FootballRepublik.
“Abuja was massive. The support was overwhelming – we could feel the adrenaline pop out. I need to say thank you again and again.
“Sometimes in football, it’s like this. First, as the Ghanaians had the ambition to go to the World Cup, we wanted to go there, too,” Osimhen continued.
“But it [not qualifying] has happened. We need to first say sorry to Nigerians. A lot of people still support us but what we need to do is to try to get all our supporters back 100%. We are on the right path, doing things well with the new coach [Peseiro] and technical staff.
“But everyone is sad, nobody is happy even now the pain lingers and forever it will. I would have advanced in age before the next World Cup but we have to move past it. We first need to look forward to what the future brings and with the quality we possess, from here, all I see [in the Super Eagles] is greatness.
However, Osimhen described himself as a lion, saying his strong mentality helped him to survive the injury he sustained in Napoili’s Serie A clash with Inter Milan on November 21, 2021.
He said: “That injury I had against Inter Milan was like a near-death injury. I am the only one that felt it, and I can only speak about how I felt because it was my face and body.
“I have like 18 screws under my jaw. I went through a lot. A lot of sleepless nights. I could not sleep, I could not eat with the pain. But at the end of the day, I am a lion, and I know the kind of mentality I have.”
Meanwhile, Newcastle will make an offer of a ‘significant sum’ to sign rumoured Arsenal and Manchester United target Victor Osimhen, according to reports in the Italian media.
