Victor Osimhen Becomes First African To Score 22 Goals In Serie A

Nigerian prolific forward, Victor Osimhen is now the first African player to score 22 goals in the Italian Serie A.

The 24-year-old Osimhen achieved this feat after scoring in the 52nd minute against Undines on Thursday, May 4, to force the Serie A game to end in a 1-1 draw. The goal was Osimhen’s 22nd Serie A goal of the season and the goal that confirmed Napoli as champions of the Italian league.

Second-placed Lazio who have 64 points in 33 games will not be able to equal the Naples-based club’s points in the remaining five league games this season, hence, Napoli were confirmed winners of the Scudetto with 80 points in 33 games after their 1-1 draw with Undines.

Osimhen who has been the club’s talisman all season long had a lot to celebrate after the game. The 24-year-old Nigerian footballer ended the night with the most important goal for Napoli in the last 33 years and also overtook Samuel Eto’o as the first African player to score 22 goals in a Serie A season.

During the 2010-2011 season, Eto’o who is a retired Cameroonian footballer scored a then-record 21 Seria A goals for Inter Milan, making him the first African to be so prolific in Italy.

In the 2020-2021 season, Nigerian forward, Simeon Tochukwu Nwankwo (Simy) came close to breaking Eto’o goal tally while playing for Crotone but couldn’t. He finished the season with 20 Serie A goals, a goal behind the Cameroonian football icon.

As it stands, Victor Osimhen who is currently the highest goalscorer in the Serie A so far this season is the only African player with 22 goals in a Serie A season.

After helping Napoli to win their first Scudetto in 33 years, Osimhen told DAZN, “It is an amazing feeling; we have waited so long for this.”

“We won’t soon forget being able to give the Scudetto to the Neapolitans; it will remain a memorable experience in our hearts for the rest of our lives.”