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Victor Osimhen is on a record-obliterating run in Serie A as he attempts to help Napoli claim their third ever Serie A title, and told ESPN that the he’d give up all the records if it meant landing the scudetto.
A league title for Napoli would be their first since the legendary Diego Maradona led them to the top in 1990, and the Nigeria striker is the major reason they’re within sniffing distance at all.
On Friday, Osimhen scored his 100th career goal, helping the club to a 2-0 victory over Sassuolo and extending their league lead to 18 points.
It also took his tally to 18 goals for the season, extending his lead at the top of the league scoring chart to five goals and keeping him on course to claim the Golden Boot award at the end of the season.
But the Nigerian told ESPN that the personal accolade is way down his list of priorities for the season.
“Being the highest goalscorer is actually not my main priority,” he said. “The team comes first before my personal ambition.
“If I win it, that’s fine but what I want to do is try to win trophies with my team. As long as the team is winning, it doesn’t matter to me who gets the goals or whether I win top scorer or not.”
Among current players, only Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe have reached the triple figure goals mark in fewer games. They and Osimhen got their centuries quicker than Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi.
Friday’s goal also meant Osimhen has scored in seven consecutive Serie A games. No Napoli player has done that since 1995, when the football rules were changed to allow three points for a win.
There can be no question that his hard work and the natural talent are bearing fruit. Osimhen has seen himself attracting desirous glances from the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and a host of other top clubs looking to snatch him from Napoli in the close season.
Not even a transfer tag on the other side of GBP100 million is deterring potential suitors for the 24-year-old. Could he be off to the Premier League in the offseason?
Osimhen says that is for Napoli to decide: “When you are doing so well, top clubs around the world are watching, mostly in the top five leagues.
“And to be able to be attract interest from these top clubs shows that I am doing great and it gives me the motivation to do even more for myself and my team.
“But I am focused on Napoli right now and they have the final say. I just want to help my team to win matches and win trophies.
“At the end of the season, we will see what is going to happen, but that is not up to me. It is for the club to decide.”
For now, with Napoli opening up such a robust advantage in Serie A, the Neapolitans have been all but crowned champions with the season still some way to go. It would take a collapse of gargantuan proportions for them to walk away empty-handed.
Manager Luciano Spalletti is acutely aware of that and is keeping his players grounded, especially after they suffered a shock elimination from the Coppa Italia at the hands of Cremonese.
Osimhen expanded: “I don’t want to predict anything but we have an objective as a club and the coach has made it clear to us to take each game as it comes.
“We just want to continue to try to win each game. We know it’s not going to be easy. All eyes are on Napoli now because we are doing well which is good for us.
“To be able to win something with this club, and with the kind of talent we have, will be glorious for the club and the fans. But we will have to work hard, keep doing well and just take it one game at a time and at the end of the season, we can put our heads together and see what we have achieved.”
For the moment, both the Serie A and the Capocannoniere will have to take a back seat as Napoli focus beyond their borders to add to their trophy chase, as they take on Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.
