Serhat Akın defends Osimhen over En-Nesyri amid Fenerbahçe fan backlash

By Monsurah Olatunji

Former Fenerbahçe striker Serhat Akın has thrown his support behind Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen over Morocco’s Youssef En-Nesyri, sparking backlash from fans of his former club.

Akın, who won three Süper Lig titles and scored 49 goals in 154 appearances for Fenerbahçe, said he has been labelled a “traitor” by fans for favoring Osimhen—currently leading the line for rivals Galatasaray.

Osimhen, who joined Galatasaray from Napoli last September, has enjoyed a stellar debut season in Turkey, scoring 28 goals and providing five assists in 32 matches across all competitions.

By contrast, En-Nesyri has contributed 26 goals and seven assists in 47 appearances for José Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe side, yet Akın remains unimpressed by the Moroccan’s impact.

“The Fenerbahçe community is a big community. I criticize En-Nesyri, I defend Osimhen,” Akın said, as quoted by Gsgazete. “I am being declared a traitor. Stop these empty chats.”

He pointed to recent performances as evidence, contrasting Galatasaray’s dominant wins—such as a 5-0 rout of Eyüpspor and four first-half goals against Sivasspor—with Fenerbahçe’s disappointing draws and home slip-ups.

“Fenerbahçe draws with Eyüpspor and gives points to Samsunspor and Kayserispor at home. How can I defend Fenerbahçe?” he added.

Akın maintains that his stance stems not from disloyalty, but from a concern over the club’s recent decline in form.