{"id":119516,"date":"2023-11-14T06:53:19","date_gmt":"2023-11-14T06:53:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/11\/14\/napoli-striker-chose-what-was-good-for-career-over-saudi-arabia-move\/"},"modified":"2023-11-14T06:53:19","modified_gmt":"2023-11-14T06:53:19","slug":"napoli-striker-chose-what-was-good-for-career-over-saudi-arabia-move","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/11\/14\/napoli-striker-chose-what-was-good-for-career-over-saudi-arabia-move\/","title":{"rendered":"Napoli striker chose what was ‘good for career’ over Saudi Arabia move"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Victor Osimhen has scored six goals for Napoli this season
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Napoli striker Victor Osimhen says he made the decision which was \u201cgood for his career\u201d after being linked with a move to Saudi Arabia in the summer.<\/p>\n

Reports\u00a0suggested the 24-year-old\u00a0\u2013 valued by Napoli at \u00a3173m \u2013 would join Al-Hilal, who had already signed Wolves captain Ruben Neves and Neymar.<\/p>\n

The Nigeria forward scored 31 goals in all competitions last season to help Napoli win the Serie A title.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe more I said no to them, the more they increased it,\u201d Osimhen said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat week was a huge decision for me to make but I put everything in God\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was literally like \u2018wow, this is surreal\u2019. I spoke with the people in charge and spoke about it with the club.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking on\u00a0The Obi One Podcast, he added: \u201cThey never gave up until the end of their own transfer window. I said before I played the first game of the season I really don\u2019t want to go back thinking that it was going to change my life.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I had to make the decision what is good for my career, as much as we play football for the money.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Idol\u2019 Drogba provides extra motivation<\/strong><\/p>\n

Osimhen finished last season as the fifth-highest scorer in Europe, which also attracted interest from Premier League clubs Manchester United and Chelsea.<\/p>\n

The striker fired Napoli to a\u00a0first league title\u00a0since Diego Maradona\u2019s side in 1990, with the Italian club also reaching the Champions League quarter-finals.<\/p>\n

He described former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba as one of his football idols, reflecting on a message he sent him last season that helped provide \u201cdouble motivation\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am still learning and watching a lot of Drogba\u2019s highlights as well as some other amazing strikers,\u201d the 24-year-old said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast season he texted me on Instagram. When it is someone you like and idolise so much, and when you see Didier Drogba with the verified page \u2013 at first I went on to his page to see if it was the real one.<\/p>\n

\u201cI took a screenshot of it a few times and then replied. The message was really inspiring and encouraging to me.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat he is watching and rooting for me, I got motivation. Then getting your idol texting you motivation, that is a huge one for me also. It is like double motivation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Osimhen denied there was any substance in the links to Chelsea and Manchester United over the summer, but said that growing up he admired the Premier League because of the \u201cexciting\u201d and \u201chigh-intensity\u201d football.<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cI don\u2019t have a boyhood Premier League team but I have two jerseys from my brother because I played grassroots football.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had one with Chelsea and one with Manchester United \u2013 the one with Vodafone on it.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of my friends were Chelsea fans and a few Manchester United, but in Nigeria, everyone watches Premier League.\u201d<\/p>\n

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