Former Nigeria international Victor Ikpeba has said new Super Eagles sensation Victor Osimhen should not see himself as the new Rashidi Yekini rather he should work harder.
Osimhen has been in impressive form for Lille in the French Ligue 1, scoring 11 goals in 21 appearances in all competitions so far.
He was also on target for the Super Eagles in their opening 2021 Africa Cup of Nations against Benin Republic and Lesotho.
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But Ikpeba, a teammate with the late Yekini, said Osimhen has the talent to be the best but must put in the extra work to be successful.
“When a boy is doing so well and he starts thinking I’ve landed, that’s the problem with these young lads. Landing so early can make life difficult for these young lads,” Ikpeba said on Brila FM.
“Kelechi (Iheanacho) has gone through some very bad runs but it’s great that we can see the quality of player he is. He is a good player, but it’s just the mental aspect that is the problem with these young lads.
“I spoke with Victor (Osimhen) recently in Uyo, I told him he should put his legs down, he should not get carried away, the journey is still long, he is not the new (Rashidi) Yekini yet, he has the potential to be one of the best strikers we have in Nigeria and the Super Eagles.
“So these players, people around them have to tell them the truth. They have to keep on working hard to get to the top of their professional career.”
5 Comments
I recently watched a video interview of yekini some months back.. He said.. I wasnt interested in money, education , business, I just wanted to ball football. Yekini made so many mistakes by concentrating only on football and not planning for life after football but with such love for the game, it’s clear to see why he remains a standard for evaluating Nigeria strikers.. I really doubt if any one can beat his record of goals for super eagles but we can never say never..
Oshimen would require serious work to get to that stage, he should never stop working on himself.. Good iheanchos case was brought as an example, last year if you take a close look at him, he was abit overweight but look now at him, he looks very fit and have trim down unnecessary weight, that’s the work we are talking about.. Wishing oshimem the best of luck in his career
When you look at it closely, it is not actually the players who tout themselves as the next Okocha or Yekini but it is the media that tends to do that.
As in any walk of life, footballers need one thing perhaps more than most: focus.
John Mikel Obi was not everyone’s cup of tea for neither club nor country however, the secret behind his long and illustrious career for club and and country can be summed up in that 5 letter word (focus).
You see, in international football, lack of focus has derailed the career of many footballers. Brazil duo of Ronaldinho and Adriano come to mind.
Both could have had careers similar to that of ageless Messi and Ronaldo but somewhere along the line, they quite literally took their eyes of the ball.
Speaking in the article above, 1998 world cup ace Victor Ikpeba had this to say :“I spoke with Victor (Osimhen) recently in Uyo, I told him he should put his legs down, he should not get carried away, the journey is still long, he is not the new (Rashidi) Yekini yet, he has the potential to be one of the best strikers we have in Nigeria and the Super Eagles”.
Indeed, it is so so easy to get carried away. And nowadays with social media and a celebrity culture that has pervaded football, it is more than ever easier for young promising, vibrant players to get ‘carried away’.
It goes without saying: Osimhen has the makings of being a striker of repute for many seasons to come. He has the skills and abilities and has shown application.
It is imperative, like Ikpeba said, for him not to pay much attention to the newspaper headlines heralding him as the next Yekini.
If truth be told, he actually should aim to be the first Osimhen!
Aghaowa was his own man, Emenike made name for himself, Ighalo left his own mark.
Osimhen should find and fulfil his own destiny rather than aiming to be like someone else!
If Osimhen Corporation was listed on the stock exchange, it would be wise to invest in him for the following reasons:
1) His ability – one of the deadliest strikers on the planet at the moment
2) His age – doing so well for one so young. Can only get better.
3) His humility – a very humble, down-to-earth lad.
4) His seriousness – not one to gallivant up and down.
If he continues in this trajectory, he will surpass Yekini. But, as you said, Deo, his aim should not be to become the next Yekini. He should rather aim to become the BEST POSSIBLE OSIMHEN.
@Pompei, I am loving the stock exchange analogy.
🙂
https://youtu.be/5XLtCe3_–M