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Ghana legend Asamoah Gyan has smoked the peace pipe with Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen after reports claimed that he slammed the Super Eagles striker for faking injury on national duty.
Nigerian supporters were alarmed when Osimhen, who signed a record-breaking contract to join Turkish powerhouse Galatasaray this summer, departed the field in the 35th minute of play during their World Cup qualifying match against Rwanda.
The former Napoli striker was declared unfit to feature in the matchday eight 1-1 draw between Nigeria and South Africa.
According to an article originally published by Dailysports.net, Gyan allegedly claimed that Osimhen had overstated his injury during the game. The article cited Gyan as stating the following:
I know these tricks. Someone told Osimhen, ‘Look, we spent a lot of money on you. The Champions League is coming up, and we’re not thrilled about you flying off to Africa for this international break. But go, play a little, lie down on the pitch, and pretend it’s serious. The next day, you’ll already be back in Turkey. It’s just to avoid media noise.’
Asamoah Gyan and Victor Osimhen
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Many fans expressed concern over this fake quote attributed to Ghana’s all-time leading top scorer and feared it could ruin the relationship between Gyan and Osimhen.
Responding to this on social media, Gyan denied these quotes attributed to him, labelling them as fake. He shared:
Fabricated quotes attributed to me about Victor Osimhen has gone viral on social media. It’s important to set the record straight: I never granted any interview about Nigeria. The last AFCON game v Cameroon was the last time I spoke about Osimhen’s talent. Don’t spread FAKE news.
Gyan spokes peace pipe with Osimhen
Gyan said there’s no bad blood between himself and the Nigerian attacker. He posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he spoke with Osimhen via phone to clear the air.
I had a great chat with my brother @VictorOsimhen9 on the phone earlier today. Once again, I wish you a full and speedy recovery.
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Meanwhile, Osimhen was diagnosed with an injury confirmed as a “moderate sprain of the ankle ligaments (with stretching and bleeding)” by Galatasaray.