Photo Credit: Victor Osimhen/Instagram
Victor Osimhen has never been the kind of footballer who lets the game come to him. Anyone who has watched him play knows that. But in a deeply moving new essay for The Players’ Tribune titled “A Prayer From the Gutter,” the Super Eagles talisman takes us somewhere far more personal than a football pitch. He takes us to Olusosun, a landfill in Lagos, and the version of himself that existed long before the goals, the glory, and the bright lights of European football.
Victor’s story is the ultimate grass-to-grace narrative, but he doesn’t sugarcoat the grass part. He writes about scavenging Africa’s largest landfill for scraps, about the specific, desperate hope of finding a left-foot Nike in a size 8 and a right-foot Puma in a size 9 on the same day, just to have something that resembled a complete pair of boots.
The relentless, never-say-die spirit that makes Osimhen one of the most compelling forwards in world football did not come from a training academy or a coaching manual. It came from Olusosun. And he wants you to know that.
Read some excerpts from his powerful story below:
The Night the Lights Went Out in Olusosun
Victor paints a vivid picture of the poverty his family faced after his mother passed away and his father lost his job. This moment, sitting by a literal gutter, is where the title of his essay was born.
I remember one night when I was about 12, the landlord had enough. He cut off the power to our apartment. We were sitting in the dark in one room — all 7 of us — no TV. Nothing. I went outside and I sat down next to this gutter — literally, a gutter — and I started crying.
I looked up into the sky and I asked God, “What kind of life is this for a child???”
Victor Osimhen holds his CAF trophy at his childhood home in Olusosun, Lagos.
The Backpack and the “Lucky Green” Kit
Perhaps the most emotional part of the essay is when Victor describes the sheer terror of leaving the only home he had ever known. He almost stayed behind out of fear, until a final word from his father changed everything.
The morning before we were supposed to leave, I got so nervous. I had never left my town before. It was comfortable. Four hours went by, and the agent was calling me.
I told him, “Forget it. I’m not going nowhere. I’m cool here.”And that’s when my father heard what was going on, and he said, “You need to go.”
There was no big speech. He just said, “You need to go.” And I knew that he was right. I left home with a backpack and two pairs of clothes. The one I was wearing, and a green kit in my bag. Lucky green.
The “Two Fingers” That Saved His Career
Victor recalls the moment his dream almost ended before it began during the Under-17 national team trials. With nearly 900 kids competing for a spot, he had just 15 minutes to prove himself.
There must have been 900 kids waiting outside this stadium. The first day, I didn’t even get on the pitch. The second day, one of the coaches finally pointed at me.
“Green shirt. Let’s go. You have 15 minutes.” Just 15 minutes to change my life. I knew that the only way to impress them was to run. So I ran until I was sweating blood.
I ended up scoring 2 goals in 15 minutes. I thought that maybe I had a chance. But then the coaches got on a microphone, and they addressed the crowd. They called out some names, and I did not hear my name. Everybody started walking to the parking lot. My dream was dead. I was just about to get in the car when I heard people shouting.
“Hey! Hey! The guy in green!”
Huh??? I turned around, and some kids were waving to me. I pointed to my chest, like in the movies.Me??? I looked behind me. “The guy in green!” Lucky green. I ran back over to them, and they said, “Hey, the coach wants to see you. The team doctor told him you were the guy who scored two goals. Are you the guy?”
I said, “I’m the guy!!! I’M THE GUY!!!!” I went back into the stadium and the doctor was pointing at me and holding up two fingers. He said, “That’s the kid.”
Two fingers saved me.
Victor Osimhen smiles in a black tuxedo after winning Sportsman of the Year at the 2025 GQ Türkiye Men of the Year Awards.
Finding a Father Figure in Spalletti
After a disgusting experience with transfer politics at Lille that prevented him from seeing his dying father, Victor admits he was lost and ready to quit football. That changed when he met Luciano Spalletti in Naples.
When I came to Napoli, I was found. I really have to thank the city and the fans and my teammates for turning my life around. I remember the first meeting I had when I arrived, I told the coach, Mr. Spalletti, “I am not well. I am very angry right now. Very sad. My head is not straight.”
But he was like a father to me. When I wasn’t doing something right, he came for my neck. But he believed in me deep in his soul, I swear. He thought I could be the best in the world.
A Message to the Hustlers in Traffic
Victor concludes by reflecting on his greatest win, which isn’t the Scudetto or the goals, but the ability to provide for those he loves and inspire the next generation of Nigerian dreamers.
I want to be an inspiration for the kids who grew up like me. Selling water in traffic. Digging through the landfill for something to scrap. Hustling. Dreaming. Praying. By the grace of God, I made it. Let my story be proof to those kids. You can start out in the gutter, and still your name can be on their lips for 1,000 years.
Read the full essay here.
