Victor Osimhen has been voted as the player of the year at his French club – Lille Olympique Sporting Club (LOSC) in the truncated 2019/2020 season.
In Osimhen’s emergence as Lille’s best player in what is just his maiden campaign in the French Ligue 1, he scored 18 goals and provided six (6) assists in 38 appearances across all competitions before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak during the football season.
His 13 goals in the French Ligue 1 was the fourth highest in the division. The Nigeria international beat off competition from Benjamin Andre and Renato Sanches to clinch the individual accolade, according to a statement on the club website.
The award is the second he has won since teaming up with Christophe Galtier’s men, having also won the Ligue 1 Player of the Month for October in 2019.
The Super Eagles striker joined the Great Danes last summer from Sporting Charleroi after his impressive performances for the Belgian side, where he scored 19 league goals before his departure.
The 21-year-old striker was recruited as a direct replacement for Ivory Coast international Nicolas Pepe, who joined Premier League giants Arsenal. On his arrival at Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Victor Osimhen immediately hit the ground running, delivering scintillating performances, which endeared him to the club’s fans.
Since his record-breaking performance at the 2015 Under-17 World Cup, where he scored ten (10) goals – the most by any player in a single tournament, Victor Osimhen has continued to impress.
On 14 August, 2019, the coach of the Nigerian National Team, Gernot Rohr, extended an invitation to Osimhen for a friendly against Ukraine that was played on September 10, 2019, in Dnipro Arena, Ukraine, which ended in a 2–2 draw.
He was also included in the Super Eagles team to face Brazil in a friendly match in Singapore on 13 October 2019 and also helped Nigeria to win bronze at the 2019 African Cup of Nations in Egypt.
Victor Osimhen has been nominated for the African French Player of The Year award.
*This news was first copy-edited by Courage Iroegbute on the 8th of June, 2020. It was modified by Toju Micheal Ogbe on the 8th of June, 2020 and fact-checked by Ayodeji Olowolagba on the 9th of June 2020.
