Football's Double Standard for African Players

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So apparently, Victor Osimhen wants wages that could pay the salaries of an entire ministry here in Nigeria. And the internet is shaking. €1 million a month? Some fans say it’s too much. Others say, “oga calm down, na football you dey play, no be perform surgery.”

You don't need to be a football fanatic like me to be aware of the controversies which has followed the Nigerian forward about his high wage demands. I personally think that's bullshvt!

Hold on!...I'll tell you why in a min

But let’s be honest, if his name was Viktor Ošićovic from Croatia, this wouldn’t even be a debate. Clubs would be queuing with blank cheques and private jets. But because Osimhen is Nigerian and has the audacity to ask for what he’s worth suddenly it’s “entitlement,” “greed,” "ego," or “bad attitude.”

Osimhen's rise to the top has been rapid and pretty linear. He proved himself in Lille and went ahead to tear up the Serie A with Napoli, winning them the Scudetto after 30 years of trophy drought. He is one of the highest scoring Africans in the Serie A. He even made the Balon d'or shortlist that same year.

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Typically, that will be enough for most European strikers to be considered the best in the world and be offered the said world. He has been reportedly linked to top European clubs like Chelsea, Barcelona, Manchester United...but there's been no solid news other than his high wage demands has turned them off

My question is why is Osimhen's case different? If an European strikers achieved his feat and demanded said wages it wouldn't be a problem.

I had my reservations on him after an underwhelming AFCON campaign that saw Nigeria lose the final to Ivory Coast. The heartburn I suffered that day was beyond painful but that doesn't change the fact that he's among the best strikers in current football.

The recent media assassination on the Nigerian forward has been terrible. He took a paycut, went to Galatasaray and tore up the league. Yet that wasn't enough to prove the media wrong.

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Is it perhaps a race thing?...if he were European or American would all these have played out different? Perhaps its not the performance or paycheck but the passport

It's not enough that we Africans have to beat the odds to get to the top. When we get there we're still expected to do twice as much as any other race to prove ourselves.

I'm just happy my Nigerian brother has secured the bag with Saudi giants Al Hilal. Apparently both parties have agreed a deal and I'm very sure he'll be tearing up the league in no time

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