From poverty to riches, from the dust of African roads to the altar of notoriety and fame that football can give to its most celebrated and most loved protagonists by fans.
His 24 years Victor James Osimhen lived them at full speed, just like his irrepressible rides on the football fields.
He is the image man of Napoli, the leading figure in a team that has been able to bring the Scudetto back to the city.
He is the symbol of a winning team, even more so than Kvaratskhelia which this year has joined him in the attack of the Neapolitans and has approached him significantly even in the hearts of the fans.
From Maradona to Osimhen, from the 'Mano de Dios' to 'God is good' (this is the translation of the striker's surname from the Nigerian Ishan dialect), after 33 years history repeats itself and there is always an absolute protagonist, a footballer which warms spirits, dragging the team, the club and the fans towards the conquest of the most coveted and most important trophy.
Osimhen, the youngest of six children, was born in Lagos, the economic capital of Nigeria, a megalopolis of over 15 million inhabitants where his father Patrick decided to move the family, originally from the State of Edo, in the south-west of the country.
His life as a child was characterized by poverty and indigence.
To help the family, he accompanied his mother (who died a few years ago) to crossroads in Lagos where the two sold sachets of drinking water to passing motorists.
Osimhen grew up in Olusosun a suburb of Lagos which is home to one of the largest landfills in Africa.
A difficult life for him, characterized by a continuous struggle for survival in a difficult environment in which to help his family he did a thousand chores, as well as distributing water at crossroads.
From a very young age he attended school, helped his mother on the street and also played football.
Local scouts noticed him and brought him to a small youth team in Lagos, the Strikers Academy in which he remained from 2010 to 2017.
In 2015 he was called up by the coach of the Under 17 national team, Emmanuel Amunike and participated in Chile in the World Championship that Nigeria won, beating Mali 2-0 in the final also with a goal from Osimhen.
The striker, author of 10 goals and 2 assists in the world championship, is awarded the 'Golden Boot'.
At the age of 18, Wolfsburg makes him sign a contract for three seasons and in the Bundesliga the very young Osimhen collects 15 appearances and no goals.
The following year he moved on loan to Charleroi and in the Belgian league he scored 12 goals in 25 appearances.
In 2019 Lille bought him for 12 million euros and Osimhen scored 13 times in a total of 27 appearances.
Finally, in the summer of 2020, the transfer to Napoli for a record amount - 70 million euros - which makes him the most expensive purchase in the history of Calcio Napoli, even more than that of Maradona whose booking in 1984 was paid to Barcelona 13 and a half billion lire.
The first year in the blue shirt was conditioned by a serious shoulder injury sustained during a match for the national team and by Covid and ended with a haul of 10 goals in 30 games.
The second season at Napoli goes better, despite a serious injury (fracture of a cheekbone and eye socket) which keeps him sidelined for two months and Osimhen concludes it with a haul of 18 goals in 32 games.
This year comes the explosion and the definitive consecration.
Physical power, speed, aggression, positional sense, extraordinary elevation, ability to pack assists: these are the characteristics that make Osimhen one of the most complete strikers in the world.
The club and the fans pamper him, even if there is no certainty that his contract, which expires in 2025, can be fully honoured.
The most important European teams are ready to subscribe to huge investments to take him away from Napoli.
The city is aware of the risk it runs, but no matter how it turns out, no one will ever forget him who was able to bring the Scudetto back to Naples after 33 years and to make an entire population happy.
