National Teams
Ademola vs Osimhen: Segun Odegbami picks next African football god
By Monsurah Olatunji
Nigerian football icon Segun Odegbami has sparked a debate by suggesting that Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman might be on a faster track to footballing greatness compared to Napoli’s Victor Osimhen.
The duo are two Nigerian footballers rapidly making names for themselves on the global footballing stage.
Osimhen spearheaded Napoli’s charge to their first Scudetto in over three decades, earning the prestigious African Footballer of the Year award in the process. He is the first Nigerian to secure that achievement since Nwankwo Kanu in 1999.
Lookman, on the other hand, scored a historic hat-trick in the Europa League final and was voted Man of the Match.
However, Odegbami believes Osimhen still lacks a crucial mental shift to reach the pinnacle, while Lookman has already achieved this mental transformation.
“He is a very good player but still on the periphery of greatness despite him becoming Africa’s best player and his stellar goalscoring in Napoli,” Odegbami said per Complete Sports.
“When he makes that final mental transition, when he becomes fully aware of his capability and starts to play deliberately with ease, confidence, and composure, he will immediately join the ranks of the gods of African football.”
While acknowledging Osimhen’s accomplishments, Odegbami believes Lookman’s recent performances elevate him to a superior level.
“Last Sunday night, during the final match of the Europa League, Lookman, who flew like an eagle, may have transited into that realm. His three great goals, with a historic victory for his team to boot, may have taken him to the edge of greatness. In 90 minutes, at the moment of his club’s greatest challenge in football, he earned the transition rights through his performance.
“It is not easy to score a goal in football. To score two goals is extremely difficult. To score three in the finals of a European club championship is a ‘miracle’.
“I listened to Ademola Lookman after the match when he addressed the press. I saw in his eyes and heard in his voice, the evidence of his metamorphosis from a really ‘good’ player to a ‘great’ one, going forward. Ademola will never be the same player again.”
