Imagine scoring a decisive goal for your team, just as they are under pressure from a potential comeback in the second leg of a Champions League playoff, and choosing not to celebrate. This is exactly what happened to Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen on Wednesday night in Turin as the Nigerian star didn’t celebrate the goal that basically ended Juventus’ dreams of qualification last 16 of the UCL.
Galatasaray were close to a surprising elimination after winning the first leg of the playoffs 6-2 last week in Istanbul, a positive result that led to a disappointing second leg played in Italy. Juventus showed to be a strong team under Luciano Spalletti and after scoring the opening goal in the first half with the penalty of Manuel Locatelli, Bianconeri defender Lloyd Kelly received a controversial red card at the beginning of the second half. Despite the disappointment, Juventus were able to score two more goals with Federico Gatti and Weston McKennie, taking the match to extra time when Osimhen’s key goal ended Juventus’ dreams. The striker refused to celebrate while his teammates, which included former Inter captain Mauro Icardi.
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There might be multiple reasons that can explain such a gesture, or lack thereof, but first of all, we need to go back to the summer of 2024 when Juventus tried to sign Osimhen when he decided to leave Napoli with the arrival of Romelu Lukaku.
Osimhen held discussions with the Bianconeri and sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli, the same one who had previously brought him from Lille to Napoli. That move ultimately failed to go through, largely due to Napoli’s reluctance to make the deal, and he has since joined Galatasaray and has been an absolute star. After scoring 37 goals in 41 games last season and 16 more this season. Was it out of respect for a club that showed such interest? Was it out of respect for his former coach Spalletti? Or could there be an interest in going back to Itay and joinig Juventus at some point?
At just 27 years of age and one of the best strikers around, the prolific striker still has so much to offer. What his long-term future looks like remains to be seen, having joined the Turkish club on a permanent deal last summer, but continued performances like this won’t do anything but increase the interest from some of the biggest clubs around, including, potentially, a striker-needy team like Juve.
Speaking to CBS Sports after the game, Osimhen explained he was “disappointed with the performance of the team.”
“[We’ve have] to improve a lot because Juventus deserved to win, even if I’m happy for my team,” he said. “I knew it was difficult to come and play here. I tried to motivate my teammates. I think some of them were scared of the crowd and the way Juventus played.”
On Tuesday, before the match against Juventus, Osimhen spoke in the pre-match press conference and said that “Juventus are one of the biggest clubs in the world. They are rich in history and so many legends have played for this club. When they approached me at the time, I was eager to join before my move to Galatasaray, but then things became complicated. Right now, though, I’m very happy at Gala but in the future, you never know what might happen. If opportunities arise, there are several clubs I would like to play for. Playing here would be a privilege; for any player, it’s ideal, and 90% of footballers would love to wear the Juventus shirt at some point in their career.”
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