By Jack Gallagher
Nigeria captain and Africa Cup of Nations player of the tournament William Troost-Ekong has revealed what makes Victor Osimhen a special player amid links with a Premier League move.
Since firing SSC Napoli to their first Serie A title in three decades during the 2022/23 season, star striker Osimhen has been heavily linked with a potential move to Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal among others.
With Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis confirming that Osimhen is due to leave the club during the summer, rumours regarding the Nigerian international's next potential destination have ramped up significantly in recent months.
In an interview with 90min's 'Football's Climate Conversation' podcast, Troost-Ekong discussed what has made his international teammate one of the best, and most sought after, strikers in world football.
"I think what's made him special is his work ethic, I've never seen something like it," Troost-Ekong explains. "He's relentless and he plays every game like it's the last game he's ever going to play.
Nigeria captain and AFCON player of the tournament William Troost-Ekong and Sokito CEO Jake Hardy join this month's episode of 90min and Pledgeball's Football's Climate Conversation. If you can't see the embed, click here to listen!
"His physical attributes - speed, his power, how he jumps - make him very dangerous because you can never feel safe. I think he always tries to run after every ball, and then when he gets in the box he's a good finisher. I don't think he's a striker who is a very natural finisher, but if it's something that's a 50/50 or he has to stick his head out or his foot out then he definitely will."
Troost-Ekong also spoke about another world class forward, Lionel Messi, choosing the legendary Argentine as the greatest player he's ever faced off against - having done so during the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
"It would have to be Lionel Messi at the World Cup. We lost 2-1, last minute, and he scored the first goal and it was something special," Troost-Ekong recalled.
"He took it over the shoulder with the back of his heel with his right foot, and I remember I felt like I almost wanted to clap - it was something special. And of course when you see him as probably the greatest player of all time, to witness that, unfortunately being on the wrong side of it, it was something special.
