Victor Osimhen has revealed that many people tried to stop him from joining Turkish champions Galatasaray after he made it clear he will quit Napoli.
“When I left Naples, do you know how many people told me: ‘Don’t go to Turkey. Are you crazy?,” he recounted.
“One former agent even told me: ‘No,no, no. Don’t go there. It’s not a smart move.
“But I think with my heart. I wanted to play for Galatasaray. How can I go from the excitement of Naples to any other club? Impossible. Boring.
“I wanted to go to one of the top three clubs in the world in terms of passion. Those are the kind of people who understand me. The ones who experience football differently.”
He continued: “When I spoke to Okan Buruk (Galatasaray coach) on the phone, before signing, he told me: ‘I am here to tell you that I personally as a person and as a coach and a father, want you at my club. And I know these fans will love you so much. Even when you are going through a difficult time, this club is the one that will support you.
“Before boarding the plane to Turkey, I put everything in God’s hands.
“When the plane landed, there were 3,000 Gala fans waiting for me in the middle of the night. At a private airport. They were tracking my flight! The people welcomed me with open arms. That feeling is worth more than money.
“Ig you don’t believe me ask Virgil van Dijk. I was talking to him after our UEFA Champions League match against Liverpool and he said: ‘Man, what kind of atmosphere is this?'”
“I said, brother to be honest , If I’d never been here and someone had just told me about it, I wouldn’t have believed.”
Osimhen concluded: “When I arrived here, everyone was asking, ‘What is he doing? Why does he want Galatasaray?
“Well if you know my story, you already know the answer to that question.
“When I won the Golden Boot at the FIFA U17 World Cup, a journalist asked me, ‘you came from nowehere. Now everyone knows your name. What do you want to achieve?’
“My answer today is the same as 15 years ago, when I was in the trenchies.
“Greatness.
“I want to be an inspiration to children who grew up like me. There are millions of us. Children who have to work for their next meal. Selling water in traffic. Digging in landfills for scrap metal. Making do. Dreaming. Praying…”
