Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen has revealed some of the lingering side effects from the jaw injury he sustained during his time at Napoli, SportPremi reports.
The Nigerian forward suffered a near-death injury experience after he was involved in a clash of heads with Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar in a Serie A clash in November 2021.
The 26-year-old missed about three months of action with the horrific injury and was forced to be ruled out of the 2021 African Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
He underwent surgery in which six plates and 18 screws were inserted to hold the fractured bone pieces together, forcing him to play with a protective mask afterward.
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The Super Eagles striker went on to guide the club to their first league title in 33 years in the 2022-23 campaign, scoring 26 times as he also won the golden boot award.
Osimhen then left Napoli to join Galatasaray on an initial loan deal in the 2024-25 campaign, before the deal was made permanent for €75 million in the summer.
Osimhen opens up on horrific injury
Speaking in an interview, Victor Osimhen revealed the effects of the horrific injury which has forced him to wear a protective mask ever since.
“It happened in 2021, we were playing against Inter Milan. So there’s this guy [Milan Skriniar], when the ball came through the flank, and I was trying to hit the ball while he was bringing his head behind me, he didn’t see the whole picture”, Osimhen revealed.
“So, I hit my jaw on his head, and the bones on the left side of my face were cracked, everywhere.
I went to the hospital in Milan. They initially checked through the X-Ray before I was told to do an MRI scan.
“When he checked, he told me ‘, Man, you need surgery’. Then I told him, ‘No chance, I don’t do surgeries”, the Nigerian forward continued.
“He then told me I had to do it, but I didn’t want it because they were going to have to cut through my face, but then he told me if I wanted to continue to play football, that’s the only way.
“I told him a cut on my face wouldn’t be possible as there was already a scar.
“He then gave me a second option, where the stitches would go through my jaw, and I agreed to that.
“Now, I only eat on the right side of my face for the rest of my life; I can’t eat through the other side”, Osimhen said.
“There are several pieces of metal on that side that hold it all together, so I can’t risk it.”
