Napoli treated me like a dog; I had to leave’ – Osimhen

Super Eagles and Galatasaray forward Victor Osimhen has revealed that his relationship with former club Napoli deteriorated after the Italian side’s TikTok account mocked him for missing a penalty during a league match.

Speaking in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Osimhen said the incident marked the beginning of the breakdown that eventually led to his departure from the club, describing his treatment by the club as humiliating.

Following the match in the 2023-24 season, Napoli’s official TikTok account posted two short videos (later deleted) mocking Osimhen. One clip showed images of Osimhen with a coconut accompanied by lyrics saying, “I’m not a boy… I’m not a girl… I’m a coconut,” while the other featured footage of him appealing for and then missing the penalty, edited with squeaky, sped-up audio.

Explaining the incident, he said, “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.”

He also stated he tried to maintain a professional relationship with the club, including a gentlemen’s agreement that he could leave the following summer, which he claims was not fully honored.

“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 added, expressing sympathy for Napoli fans while denying rumours about unprofessional behaviour.

He said, “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.”

Culled from vanguard