Victor Osimhen has been spotted enjoying himself in Lagos days after opting out of Super Eagles' friendly matches against Poland and Portugal, further fueling discussions among supporters over the circumstances surrounding his absence.
The Nigerian striker was seen at Voyage Club in Lagos in videos shared on social media by popular DJ and producer DJ YK Mule on Tuesday.
Posting a clip on Instagram, the disc jockey captioned the video: "VO9. He said, YK, let's step outside and everything went smoothly."
The footage showed the 26-year-old smiling and taking in the atmosphere inside the packed nightclub, with partygoers dancing and recording the scene on their phones.
Another video obtained from Voyage Lagos hypeman @_ragebaby, popularly known as The RAGE, also showed the Galatasaray forward in high spirits. Osimhen appeared relaxed as green laser lights illuminated the venue and the crowd erupted around him during a DJ transition by DJ Khizzo.
Osimhen recently linked up with Naira Marley
The latest videos surfaced only days after the Super Eagles vice-captain was seen with controversial musician Azeez Fashola, better known as Naira Marley, and his associate Balogun Olamilekan Eletu, popularly called Sam Larry. Clips from the gathering showed Osimhen warmly greeting the singer while music played in the background. The trio appeared to be enjoying themselves in a club setting as admirers looked on.
Striker absent from Nigeria's friendlies
Osimhen was initially included in Eric Chelle's squad for the post-Unity Cup friendlies against Poland and Portugal. However, the striker failed to report for the matches, with the Super Eagles coach initially explaining that the player's club situation was behind his absence.
Speaking earlier, Chelle said: "So now we have two games, Poland and Portugal and I have lot of problem because some players they don't have some visa form and the most important we will miss two players because Victor Osimhen had to change club so I prefer that he stay in his house because if you play and you are not at 100% this is not good."
The coach also stated that Ademola Lookman was unavailable because the winger was exhausted and his club had requested that he be allowed to rest. Those comments were later clarified by the Nigeria Football Federation, while Osimhen himself subsequently distanced himself from the explanation surrounding transfer negotiations.
Despite missing the games, the Galatasaray striker remained in Nigeria.
Questions resurface over friendly appearances
Osimhen's absence has once again drawn attention to his record in non-competitive matches for the national team. Since making his senior debut in 2017, the former Lille striker has featured in only seven international friendlies out of a possible 32, per Transfermarkt data. Remarkably, only one of those appearances lasted the full 90 minutes, against Ukraine in 2019, and his last appearance in a friendly match for the country came in 2023.
Available records also show that injuries accounted for only five of the 32 matches he missed during that period. While many of those absences had legitimate explanations, the latest development has prompted renewed debate among supporters.
Fans express concern on social media
Several fans and analysts took to X to air their opinions after Osimhen's absence from the latest games. Football writer Solace Chukwu (@TheOddSolace) joked that "Victor Osimhen doesn't play friendlies, apparently." Another user, @coldslur, made a similar observation, saying the striker simply does not feature in friendly matches.
Reacting to the statistics, @Johnny_Gaffer expressed surprise that Osimhen's last friendly appearance for Nigeria came in October 2023, noting that he had missed 15 such games since then. User @iamdynamique argued that the forward often has reasons for staying away from friendly encounters, while @FemiAmupitan suggested that the lack of competition in attack may have allowed some players to miss such matches without affecting their status in the team.
Meanwhile, @TalmudicSage called on senior players to stop "picking and choosing" fixtures, expressing confidence that Eric Chelle's rebuilding process would ensure that no player becomes indispensable. Another supporter, @Tommtalent, echoed the sentiments, claiming that the Napoli-owned star had rarely featured in friendlies since becoming a regular for the national team.
Although the comments reflected growing frustration among sections of the fan base, there is no indication from either Osimhen or the NFF that the striker deliberately skipped the matches.
Galatasaray move for Lookman
Legit.ng earlier reported that Osimhen has personally tried to convince fellow Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman to join Galatasaray. The Turkish champions are reportedly interested in signing the Atalanta winger, with Osimhen believed to be playing an active role in persuading his international teammate to move to Istanbul.
