Victor Osimhen has revealed that he was ready to play in the German fourth division after he failed to make the grade at Bundesliga club Wolfsburg.
He said his loan transfer to Belgian club Sporting Charleroi was what turned around his career in Europe.
“There was a time I spoke to my former agent and told him that I was ready to go to a third or fourth division club in Germany, as all I wanted to do was to play … My whole life has been a struggle but I always come out on top,” he told The Guardian.
“Whatever bad things happened there, I take full responsibility for it. I decided to go to Wolfsburg, to try to improve, because I knew that I was still a work in progress after the World Cup in Chile. I had Mario Gómez there, and Divock Origi too. I had to learn from these people …
“I was rejected by two clubs in Belgium before I had the opportunity to sign for Charleroi on loan.”
He continued: “I cannot lie: it was draining at first. I was the highest goalscorer at the Under-17 World Cup and picked as the second-best player of the tournament [but then seeing] my career going down and hearing people say all sort of [negative] things about me …
“I know the kind of player I am and the quality that I possess. I knew that just one season would change my life forever.”
At Charleroi he netted 19 goals and provided four assists to earn a transfer to the French Ligue 1 club Lille and subsequently made his way to Italy as record signing by Napoli in 2020.