Victor Osimhen, the Nigerian striker currently leading the line for Galatasaray, has recounted the raw and emotional story of how a 15-minute audition in Abuja became the turning point of his life. The remarks were shared on Facebook by respected football journalist, Fabrizio Romano.
“I left home with a backpack and two pairs of clothes. The one I was wearing, and a green kit in my bag,” Osimhen recalled, describing the modest circumstances that framed his journey. “We drove to Abuja in the oldest car you can imagine, and we arrived at midnight.”
By the following morning, reality hit hard. “The next morning, the sun came up and I saw 1 million kids with a dream,” he said. “Maybe 1 million is an exaggeration, but not by much. There must have been 900 kids waiting outside this stadium.”
Despite the huge turnout, Osimhen did not get his opportunity immediately. “The first day, I didn’t even get on the pitch,” he said. It was not until the second day that fate intervened. “One of the coaches finally pointed at me. ‘Green shirt. Let’s go. You have 15 minutes.’”
The instruction was blunt and final. “Just 15 minutes to change my life,” he said. Fully aware of what was at stake, Osimhen decided to outwork everyone. “I knew that the only way to impress them was to run. So I ran until I was sweating blood.”
The gamble paid off — at least on the surface. “I ended up scoring 2 goals in 15 minutes. I thought that maybe I had a chance,” he explained. But hope quickly turned to despair when the coaches addressed the crowd and began calling out selected names. “They called out some names, and I did not hear my name.”
“My dream was dead,” he admitted. Disappointed and resigned, he began heading back to the car, convinced the opportunity had slipped away.
Then came the moment that changed everything. “I was just about to get in the car when I heard people shouting — ‘Hey! Hey! The guy in green!’” He turned around to see some of the other players waving at him. “I pointed to my chest, like in the movies.”
“The guy in green!” they repeated, urging him to return. “I ran back over to them, and they said, ‘Hey, the coach wants to see you. The team doctor told him you were the guy who scored two goals. Are you the guy?’”
Osimhen’s response was emphatic. “I said, ‘I’m the guy!!! I’M THE GUY!!!’” Inside the stadium, he saw the doctor pointing at him and holding up two fingers. “He said, ‘That’s the kid.’”
Reflecting on that defining instant, Osimhen said: “Two fingers saved me. If the team doctor didn’t do that, I would not be a footballer today.”
