Super Eagles and Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen has revealed that he plans to return to school and earn a university degree after retiring from football.
Osimhen disclosed this during an interview with Instablog TV, where he reflected on life beyond football and the importance of education.
“As an adult, not everything I learned in school. There are some kinds of life lessons you encounter through life’s journey,” Osimhen said.
“For me, it would be an amazing thing to also try to get a degree, which I’m still considering because football, you won’t play for so long, probably 20, 25 years, and then you’re done.”
Osimhen added that although he has other opportunities to fall back on after retiring from football, obtaining a university degree would be a personal accomplishment and a way to inspire younger people.
“In as much as I have a lot of things to fall back to when I’m done, I think it’s still important for me to set an example, to set a standard for the younger generation,” he said.
The 2023 African Player of the Year also encouraged young people who had to halt their education because of financial or personal difficulties, stressing that it is never too late to return to school.
“Even though you dropped out due to some kind of challenges you have, it’s something you can always go back to. School is always there.”
Osimhen was born in Lagos, Nigeria, as the youngest of seven children and was raised in the Olusosun area of Lagos, a densely populated community located near one of the city’s largest landfills.
Osimhen sold sachet water (“pure water”) and other items in Lagos traffic to help support his family after the death of his mother and his father’s job loss.
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He attended Olusosun Primary School, where his football talent began to draw attention, and later joined Ultimate Strikers Academy, a local football academy in Lagos, where his skills were nurtured and eventually led to his discovery by national team scouts.
His breakthrough came in 2015 when he was selected to represent Nigeria at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile, where he emerged as the tournament’s top scorer with 10 goals and helped Nigeria win the title.
He was part of the Nigerian squad that won the 2015 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations under former Nigeria international Samson Siasia.
In 2017 he made his Super Eagles debut in a 2–0 defeat against South Africa one during the qualifiers for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
He has gone on to represent Nigeria at three AFCONs – 2019, 2023 and 2025).
At club level he has featured for Wolfsburg, Lille, Charleroi, Napoli and currently plays for Turkish giants Galatasaray.
By James Agberebi
