Napoli attacker Victor Osimhen recalled an interaction with Roma boss Jose Mourinho in last season’s fixture.
In an interview with Soccernet.ng, Osimhen described how Mourinho praised him for his attitude during Napoli-Roma on January 29, a match where the Nigerian striker’s goal proved to be enough to give the Partenopei the victory.
“After somebody stepped on my wrist and it got peeled, Mourinho came to me and he said, ‘Good goal, but don’t do that. Don’t try to dive. Keep going like this; you’re on the right path.’ I told him that I don’t make simulations, I was pushed, and I showed him my hand, and he said, ‘Go on’,” said Osimhen.
“To hear this kind of compliment from Mourinho, right in the middle of the game, for me, it’s an amazing feeling. Trust me; it’s an amazing feeling.”
“Coming from someone this kind of a man, the best in the world if I’m not mistaken, for me, it’s just the fuel that I really need to continue,” Osimhen said.
“I think every aspiring striker, mostly when you’re young, if you have the opportunity to play under Mourinho, I think it’s a huge honour because he has shaped a lot of world-class strikers.”
“Didier Drogba played under him, and we know the kind of beast he actually turned him into. And he delivered for him. So, for me, it’s a great privilege that Mourinho spoke to me in the middle of the game and gave me this compliment. It’s a huge one for me.”