Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has shared an experience from his early days with the national team, revealing how he was once turned away from a teammate’s hotel room during his first call-up in 2017.
Osimhen made the disclosure during a Twitch livestream with comedian Carter Efe in the early hours of Saturday.
Speaking from Nigeria, where he is currently recovering from a broken arm sustained during Galatasaray’s UEFA Champions League clash with Liverpool, the forward recounted the incident.
According to Osimhen, he had gone to visit Kelechi Iheanacho, who was then playing for Manchester City, to show respect. However, upon arriving at Iheanacho’s hotel room, he was denied entry by another senior player who was sharing the room.
“When I came, I met Iheanacho. And I told him, ‘ah, see me, I’m gonna carry your boots.’ So he said I should come to his room so, he gave me his room number.
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So, as I got to his room — I don’t just want to mention the name — he had a roommate. So, as I knocked on the door, the roommate opened the door. So, he like bounced me out of the room,” Osimhen said.
The striker chose not to disclose the identity of the player involved, only noting that he was a well-known figure in Nigerian football at the time.
Osimhen added that Iheanacho reacted angrily when he learned what had happened and immediately stepped in.
Iheanacho showed up and was angry at him, saying, ‘you see that someone came to see me in my room and you are chasing him from my room.’ So Iheanacho took my hand and took me inside,” he said.
The incident occurred in 2017, when Osimhen was just beginning his journey with the Super Eagles, long before he rose to prominence as one of Africa’s top strikers.