The scorching sun baked his skin; causing beads of sweat on his forehead. His back and armpit were not spared from the sweltering weather as sweats dripped down his body while he hawked his bottled water in the Lagos traffic.
Even as a toddler and the last child among his parents six children, Victor had no choice but to join his other siblings in selling bottled, sachet water and other household commodities on the streets of Lagos to put food on his family’s table and save towards his education.
Growing up in a small community that houses one of the largest dumpsites in Africa; Olusosun, around Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos, was a tough one for Victor and his family as every day was a survival quest.
Speaking in a media interview, the Southern Nigerian, precisely from Esan South East Local Government Area of Edo State, shared how challenging it was growing up in Lagos as a child from a poor family background.
“I lost my mom in October; I do not even remember the year. I was small. Three months later, my father lost his job. It was very hard for our family.
“My brother sold sports newspapers, my sister, oranges in the street and me, sachet and bottled water in Lagos in the middle of the traffic. We have to survive so we stick together.
“In the evening, we were all together and we gathered the money on the table. We gave everything to our big sister who made food from it for us.
“Where I grew up, people live on the other side of an open dump. With my friends, we went there every Friday or Sunday to find crampons and shoes. We stayed there for a long time. It was funny! We saw it as a game but when you think about it. It was always a fight. We were looking for crampons.
“Sometimes you see, you found yourself with a Nike on the right foot, and then you start looking for the other foot, and finally, you find the left foot, and it’s a Reebok! My sister patched everything up and it was good. It was survival.
“Part of my life has been a struggle to survive. But that’s all I am today in the end. It’s hard to classify all but each event has created my personality,
Today, Victor James Osimhen tenacity has paid off. His world and that of his family has turned around for the better.
Born on December 29 1998, the 21 years old footballer has the record of being the most expensive African player in history after sealing a record move to Napoli on July 31, 2020.
Reports revealed that he joined the Neapolitan outfit for an initial 71.2 million pounds, but a further 10.1 million pounds is guaranteed in add-ons, totalling the overall fee to 81.3 million pounds.
Osimhen came into limelight in 2015 during the FIFA under-17 World Cup Tournament held in Chile, where he joined the country’s national U-17 football team known as the Golden Eaglets.
His presence in the team was essential to the winning of the tournament for the Golden Eaglets. He bagged the highest scorer award after scoring ten goals as well as the FIFA U-17 World Cup Silver Ball.
Osimhen’s performance at this tournament exposed him to big European clubs soliciting for his services, but he rejected them all to go for a German Bundesliga club; Wolfsburg, which offered the highest pay deal.
While at Wolfsburg, Osimhen’s career suffered some setbacks due to a shoulder injury and a relapsing sickness which made him missed two seasons in the club. The illness also prevented him from witnessing the Russia 2018 FIFA World as he was in the hospital during this period.
After this, he moved to France to play with Lille OSC and as usual, became a household name. He won Lille’s player of the season after a fantastic performance in Ligue One. He hit 18 goals in 38 appearances in all competitions. This further spurred on European clubs’ interest in signing him and again, he declined to go for Napoli deal.
Indeed, Victor’s doggedness has fetched him these great achievements at such an early age in life, and of course, more wins are in line for him. His poor background and unpleasant childhood memories did not discourage him from his dream. In fact, he takes such experience as a motivation for his journey to the top.
So, you see, you have no excuse not to succeed in this life if you desire to.
Despite what life throws at you, be determined and persistent in achieving your dream. Who knows, you may be the next billionaire in line in Africa or the world.
Challenges exist to bring out the best in us.
May the odds be in your favour this week.
