Nigerian international and Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen has disclosed that his once-strong ties with former Serie A side Napoli collapsed after the club’s official TikTok page publicly ridiculed him for failing to convert a penalty in a league game.
The forward made the revelation during an exclusive interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, explaining that the episode triggered the full breakdown in relations and his eventual exit, while branding the club’s conduct toward him as deeply degrading and humiliating.
“Anyone can miss a penalty, anyone can be mocked for it. Napoli only did it to me, and with certain innuendos, too. I was the victim of racist insults, and I made my decision: I wanted to leave.
“I deleted photos of me in a Napoli shirt from my Instagram, and they seized the opportunity to turn the fans against me. And to think, my daughter, for me, is more Neapolitan than Nigerian.”
Right after the match during the 2023-24 season, Napoli’s verified TikTok account uploaded two brief clips that were later removed.
One featured Osimhen’s image alongside a coconut with lyrics declaring “I’m not a boy… I’m not a girl… I’m a coconut,” while the second showed him requesting the penalty before missing it, altered with squeaky, fast-forwarded audio effects.
“We had a gentlemen’s agreement that I could leave the following summer, but the other side didn’t fully keep their promise.
“They tried to send me to play everywhere, treating me like a dog. Go here, go there, do this, do that… I worked so hard to advance my career, I couldn’t accept that kind of treatment. I’m not a puppet,” he said.
Osimhen noted that he had attempted to preserve a respectful and professional working relationship with the club despite the fallout.
“No one ever publicly apologized for what happened. After that famous video, Edoardo De Laurentiis called me several times. Stop.
“Meanwhile, there were rumors that I was late to the pitch, that I was arguing with my teammates.
“It’s all lies. I feel sorry for the fans, but I understand and admire them: they always support the club. For them, Napoli comes first.”
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