After Mohamed Salah of Egypt, and Sadio Mane of Senegal, the biggest name in the AFCON 2023 is arguably Victor Osimhen of Nigeria which is a huge pressure on its own for the 25-year-old Nigerian striker.
Aside from being one of the biggest names on the continent, Victor Osimhen is going into the tournament as the eighth-ranked player in the Ballon d’Or and the reigning African player of the year. All these titles come with a lot of responsibilities, and of course, pressure.
Now, the question is, can Victor Osimhen who has never played in an AFCON survive the pressure in Ivory Coast from 3 p.m. on Sunday, January 14, when the Super Eagles take on Equatorial Guinea to February 11, the last day of the tournament?
Virtually every football enthusiast in Nigeria believes that Osimhen is Nigeria’s game-changer at the tournament. Pundits and even critics believe that if the Napoli striker fails to perform, the Super Eagles might not go far in the tournament.
The fact that Osimhen played a major role in helping Napoli win the Scudetto for the first time in 33 years last season after scoring 26 goals and providing five assists made him a little god in this current era. This outlook is also a pressure on not only him but on the entire Super Eagles squad.
“We have the King of Africa in our team, obviously the pressure will be much”, the captain of the Super Eagles, Ahmed Musa said during their pre-match press conference on Saturday, January 13.
Initially, the rise of Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface was expected to reduce the pressure on Osimhen. Unfortunately, less than six days into the tournament, the 23-year-old striker got injured and withdrew from the team.
Boniface has been replaced by OGC Nice striker, Terem Moffi, and injured Umar Sadiq has been replaced by Paul Onuachu who are also good strikers, but they can’t bring the kind of fear Boniface would have brought against opponents based on his current form.
Hence, the pressure is still on Victor Osimhen to score the goals, push the team, and be the face of the team throughout their stay in the campaign. But can he handle it to a good end?
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