Victor Osimhen shares an early national team story where Kelechi Iheanacho came to his rescue.
Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen has recounted a memorable and slightly humiliating moment from his first call-up to the Super Eagles in 2017 under former coach Gernot Rohr. The incident occurred while he was getting settled at the national team camp in Uyo, Nigeria.
Speaking with Carter Efe on a livestream, Osimhen explained that the player involved, whose name he withheld, was the roommate of Kelechi Iheanacho.
“I remember one time like that as I came, we were in Uyo, so I met Iheanacho and I told him ‘I’m coming to carry your boot’ so he asked me to come to his room and he gave me his room number.
“When I got to his room, I don’t want to mention the player’s name who was his roommate, so as I knocked it was the player that opened the door and like bounced me in 2017. He was a big player that time, he bounced me.”
Osimhen added that it was Iheanacho who intervened and helped him get settled:
“So Iheanacho came and confronted him saying ‘you saw that someone came to see me and pursued him’. Iheanacho now held me by the hand and dragged me in.”
Since his debut in 2017, Osimhen has become a stalwart for the Super Eagles, featuring in three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments (2019, 2023, 2025). He is currently the second-highest scorer in the nation’s history with 35 goals, just two behind the legendary Rashidi Yekini.
Osimhen’s story shows the early challenges young players face and the importance of teammates like Iheanacho who offer guidance and protection.
