Super Eagles and Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen has shared a revealing anecdote from his early days with the national team, recounting how a senior Nigerian player turned him away from a hotel room door during his first call-up in 2017 before Kelechi Iheanacho stepped in to welcome him.
Subscribe To The Best Team In Conservative, Business, Technology, Lifestyle And Digital News Realtime! support@ddnewsonline.com
Osimhen made the disclosure during a candid Twitch livestream with comedian Carter Efe in the early hours of Saturday, March 22, 2026. The 27-year-old is currently in Nigeria recuperating from a broken arm sustained during Galatasaray’s UEFA Champions League clash against Liverpool.
Speaking on his humble beginnings with the Super Eagles, Osimhen said he had approached Iheanacho then a Manchester City forward to pay his respects and offer to carry his boots, a common gesture of humility among younger players.
“I told him, ‘ah, see me, I’m gonna carry your boots.’ So he said I should come to his room, he gave me his room number,” Osimhen narrated.
Upon reaching the room, however, he was met by Iheanacho’s roommate a senior player Osimhen deliberately declined to name.
“As I got to his room I don’t just want to mention the name he had a roommate. So, as I knocked on the door, the roommate opened the door. So, he like bounced me out of the room,” he said.
Osimhen described the rejection as unexpected and humiliating at the time, especially as a young player eager to earn acceptance in the national team environment.
Iheanacho, upon learning what happened, was reportedly displeased. “Iheanacho showed up and was angry at him, saying, ‘you see that someone came to see me in my room and you are chasing him from my room.’ So Iheanacho took my hand and took me inside,” Osimhen recalled with a laugh.
The incident occurred in 2017, the year Osimhen earned his first senior call-ups to the Super Eagles before going on to become one of Africa’s most feared strikers and a consistent goal-scorer for club and country.
Subscribe To The Best Team In Conservative, Business, Technology, Lifestyle And Digital News Realtime! support@ddnewsonline.com
The revelation has sparked widespread reactions on social media, with many fans praising Osimhen’s humility and maturity in sharing the story without bitterness or naming the senior player involved.
DDNewsOnline – Lagos
By
Send tips to: adeyemi@ddnewsonline.com
09164987165 / 08168555497
©️ 2026 DDNewsOnline