Nigeria and Napoli striker Victor Osimhen is arguably Africa's most feared goal poacher at the moment.
The reigning African Footballer of the Year who played his first Africa Cup of Nations final for Nigeria against Ivory Coast in the recently concluded AFCON 2023, became a potent goal scorer in Italy following a groundbreaking Serie A campaign for Napoli last season.
Osimhen's goal-scoring ability has helped him to find the back of the net against several teams across European leagues and on the international stage for Nigeria in the course of his growing football career.
At the time of writing, the 25-year-old has scored 105 goals in 209 club matches across all competitions he's featured for, showcasing his brilliance in front of the goal.
While most of these goals have come against Italian sides in the Serie A, the 2023 AFCON silver medalist have also found the net against teams from other leagues.
In this article, we'll delve into the goals Osimhen has scored against Spanish opposition. This comes as the striker is in contention to face Barcelona once more in the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League Round of 16.
The first time Victor Osimhen faced a Spanish team
Osimhen started his European club football career in 2017 when he signed for Wolfsburg in Germany.
During his difficult one year stay in the Bundesliga, the Super Eagles forward didn't face any Spanish opposition.
A year later, the Nigerian played for Belgian side Charleroi on loan where he went on to score several goals for the club in the 2018/19 season. He also didn't feature against any Spanish side.
On 1 August 2019, Lille signed Osimhen where he went on to spend just one season playing in the French Ligue 1 before Napoli acquired his services in 2020.
It was during his one season with Lille that Osimhen first faced a Spanish side, Valencia, on 23 October 2019 in a Champions League Group H, Round 3 encounter that ended 1-1 in France.
The striker failed to find the back of the net in that game but his fortune in front of the goal changed in the reverse fixture.
Victor Osimhen goals against Spanish sides
Goal 1: Against Valencia – 5 November 2019
Following the 1-1 draw against Valencia at home in Round 3 of the 2019/20 Champions League group stage, Osimhen was able to score his first goal against Spanish opposition when he opened the scoring for Lille in the 25th minute mark in Round 4 of the club's group stage campaign against Los Ches.
Despite scoring to give his side an early aggregate lead, the Spanish outfit came back from a goal down to beat Lille 4-1 on the night.
The French side would go on to finish bottom of the group with just one point after six matches.
Goal 2: Against Mallorca – 31 July 2022
It was during an International Club Friendly between Napoli and Mallorca in July, 2022 that Osimhen scored his second goal against a Spanish side.
The Napoli striker opened the scoring after just 9 minutes for Luciano Spalletti's men before a 55th minute equalizer from Antonio Raillo ensured that both teams settled for a 1-1 draw in the game.
Goal 3: Against Villarreal – 17 December 2022
The Nigerian forward scored his third goal against Spanish opposition when Napoli faced Villarreal in an International Club Friendly game in December, 2022 in which Napoli lost 3-2.
Osimhen scored the first goal for his club in the match to cancel out Etienne Capoue's 13th minute strike.
Nicolas Jackson and Gerard Moreno gave the Yellow Submarines a 3-1 lead before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored 11 minutes from time to bring the scoreline to 3-2.
So far, Victor Osimhen has scored 3 goals against Spanish sides in his club career. His first coming in a competitive match and the two others from friendlies.
Victor Osimhen to face Barcelona today
Super Eagles forward Osimhen will most likely return to action for Napoli tonight against Barcelona in a Champions League Round of 16 clash at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples.
It will be the first time since the 2-0 Serie A loss to Roma on 23 December 2023–where he got a red card–that the Serie A Best Striker will take to the field for Napoli following a one-month-long Africa Cup of Nations tournament with Nigeria.
The match against Barça tonight gives the Napoli man an opportunity to score another Spanish side and increase his tally over them.
Both teams last met in 2022 during the Europa League knockout stage, an encounter Barcelona defeated Napoli 4-2 without Osimhen scoring.
This article was most recently revised and updated 1 year ago
