From unfit Wolfsburg to immortality in Naples: the rise, blip and rise of Victor Osimhen

In Naples, football is more than a sport. This southern city, famous for its natural beauty and rich history, is a place where men who become heroes are immortalized. They are revered.

Take, for example, the reverent adoration inspired by the late Diego Maradona after leading I Partenopei to their first two Scudetti, in 1987 and 1990, making Napoli a force to be reckoned with in Italy, in a league the wealthier northern clubs used to dominate.

This predominantly working-class town quickly welcomed a Maradona, himself from humble beginnings, having grown up in Villa Fiorito, a crowded slum on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.

Victor Osimhen, like Maradona, is an outsider who comes from a difficult background, so perhaps the Napoli part of his story was always destined. But there was a lot of adversity to overcome before, and even after, it came to this.

Artwork by Shivani Khot

Osimhen grew up in the extreme poverty in Olusosun, a slum near the Ojota region of Lagos State in southwestern Nigeria.Olusosun is synonymous with the infamous dump that lies next to it, which is one of the largest in Africa. There, children are not allowed to dream big or dream at all. In the words of Osimhen, "this is not a place that offers you promises." p>

He lost his mother when he was little. Things got worse when her father, now deceased, lost his job soon after. The boy sold bottled water on the highways and did other odd jobs to support his family. In the midst of this adversity and struggle for survival, he found solace in the beautiful game. After school, he would go with his older brother, Andrew, to play football.

His undeniable talents were soon noticed by scouts in the area, and he later joined the Ultimate Strikers Academy, where he honed his skills. In 2014, he took part in the Nigeria U-17 National Open Screening in Abuja. Being selected to join Emmanuel Amunike's team will mark a turning point in his young life.

Osimhen scored four goals at the 2015 African Under-17 Championship in Niger between February and March to help Nigeria qualify for the Under-17 World Cup in Chile, where he would shoot with a real notoriety.

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