Victor Osimhen Religion

What religion is Victor Osimhen?

Victor Osimhen is a Nigerian professional footballer who is a devoted Christian. He was born and grew up in a Christian family. After scoring goals, he often points to the sky or makes gestures of thanks to God. Regarded as one of the best strikers in the world, Victor Osimhen plays for the Süper Lig club Galatasaray and the Nigeria national football team. Previously, he has played for the football clubs VfL Wolfsburg (2017–2019), Charleroi (2019), Lille (2019–2020), Napoli (2020–2025), and Galatasaray (2025–). Among his career accomplishments, Osimhen won the Serie A title with Napoli in 2023, won a domestic double while on loan at Galatasaray in 2025, and went on to claim a second consecutive Turkish Süper Lig title in 2026 after joining the club on a permanent basis.

Contracts & Salary

During his early career, Osimhen earned just €3,654 per week at Charleroi in 2018–19 and €4,423 per week during his two seasons at Wolfsburg. His move to Lille in 2019 brought a significant rise, with his weekly wages reaching €25,000, or €1.3 million per year, before Napoli signed him for €70 million in 2020, where his earnings increased progressively from €5.1 million per year to €12.8 million by 2023–24.

Following a season-long loan at Galatasaray in 2024–25, Osimhen made his move to Istanbul permanent in July 2025. His deal includes a net annual salary of €15 million (around $16.5 million), a €1 million loyalty bonus (about $1.1 million), and roughly €5 million in image rights payments (about $5.5 million), bringing his total annual package to €21 million. His €360,000 per week base salary makes him the highest-paid player in Turkish football history, earning more than Galatasaray’s entire midfield unit combined. His total career earnings up to 2026 are estimated at approximately €45.6 million in salary alone.

Early life

Victor James Osimhen was born on December 29, 1998, in Lagos, Nigeria, into a poor Christian family. He is of South-South Nigerian descent and has six older siblings. His father, Patrick, hailed from Esan South-East in Edo State, while his mother, Christiana, was from the Amai, Ukwuani area of Delta State. Osimhen spent his childhood hawking sachet water in heavy traffic to help support his family following his mother’s tragic passing. He leveraged this relentless work ethic on the streets to secure a spot at the Ultimate Strikers Academy, which ultimately paved his way to global stardom.

VfL Wolfsburg

Osimhen joined Wolfsburg from Ultimate Strikers Academy in Lagos in January 2017 for €3.5 million, having starred as the top scorer at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile, a tournament Nigeria won, with Osimhen netting 10 goals in six matches. He made just 15 appearances across two seasons in the Bundesliga without scoring before being loaned out.

Charleroi

In the summer of 2018, Osimhen was loaned to the Belgian Pro League club Charleroi. A month later, he scored his first goal as a professional with a backheel against Waasland-Beveren. Osimhen finished his season-long loan to Charleroi with 20 goals in 36 total appearances. His sensational, breakout form in the Belgian Pro League prompted Charleroi to activate his €3.5 million buyout clause. However, he was flipped to the French side LOSC Lille.

Lille

Osimhen joined the French Ligue 1 club Lille for €22.4 million in 2019 and scored 18 goals across all competitions in his sole season, helping the club reach the Coupe de la Ligue semi-finals and finishing as one of Ligue 1’s most feared strikers before Napoli came calling.

Napoli

In July 2020, Italian Serie A club Napoli signed Osimhen for a then club-record €75 million. He won the Serie A Best Young Player award in 2021–22 before his finest season in 2022–23, when he scored 26 goals, a record for an African player in a single Serie A season, helping Napoli win their first league title in 33 years. For his season, he was named the Serie A Footballer of the Year as well as the CAF’s African Footballer of the Year. He scored 15 goals in 2023–24 before joining Galatasaray on loan in 2024–25, where he scored 26 league goals in 30 appearances, winning the Süper Lig title and the Turkish Cup.

Galatasaray

On July 31, 2025, the Turkish Süper Lig club Galatasaray signed Osimhen permanently from Napoli for €75 million. This made Osimhen the player with the highest transfer fee in Turkish football history. He has continued his prolific form, winning a second consecutive Süper Lig title in 2025–26 and recording 15 goals and five assists in 22 league appearances in the current season.

Nigeria National Team

Osimhen began his international career with the Nigeria national U-17 team, with which he won the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup. He finished as the tournament’s top scorer with ten goals in six games and was awarded the Silver Ball and Golden Boot. He made his senior debut for Nigeria in 2017 and played in his first Africa Cup of Nations in 2019. So far, Osimhen has scored 35 goals in 51 senior appearances, making him the second all-time top scorer in Nigeria, behind Rashidi Yekini. He has represented Nigeria at the 2019 and 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Personal life

Osimhen and his partner, Stefanie Kim Ladewig, joyfully welcomed their first child, a daughter named Haly, in October 2022.

Away from football, Osimhen has expressed his desire to help disabled people across Africa and said he has been inspired by Sadio Mané, who supports his community in Senegal. Additionally, Osimhen is also multilingual, speaking English and several Nigerian languages, including Yoruba.