Victor Osimen is on a record-breaking streak in Serie A as he tries to help Napoli claim their third Serie A title and told ESPN he would give up all records if it meant winning the scudetto.
A league title for Napoli would be their first since the legendary Diego Maradona led them to the top in 1990, and the Nigerian striker is the main reason they are within touching distance.
On Friday, Osimhen scored the 100th goal of his career, helping the club to a 2-0 win over Sassuolo and extending their league lead to 18 points.
He also took his tally to 18 goals for the season, extending his lead at the top of the league goalscoring table to five goals and keeping him on course to claim the Golden Boot award at the end of the season.
But the Nigerian told ESPN that personal distinction is far down his list of priorities for the season.
“Being the top scorer is not really my main priority,” he said. “The team comes first before my personal ambition.
“If I win it, that’s fine, but what I want to do is try to win trophies with my team. As long as the team wins, it doesn’t matter to me who scores the goals or if I win top scorer or not. . “
Among current players, only Erling Haaland and Kylian Bappé have reached triple figures in fewer games. They and Osimhen made their centuries faster than Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi.
Friday’s goal also meant that Osimhen has scored in seven consecutive Serie A games. No Napoli player has done that since 1995, when the rules of football were changed to allow three points for a win.
There is no doubt that his hard work and natural talent are paying off. Osimhen has seen himself attracting the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and a host of other top clubs who are looking to snap him up from Napoli at the end of the season.
Not even a transfer tag on the other side of £100m is deterring potential suitors for the 24-year-old. Could he go to the Premier League in the off-season?
Osimhen says that is for Napoli to decide: “When you do this well, top clubs around the world are watching, especially in the top five leagues.
“And to be able to attract interest from these top clubs shows that I’m doing great and motivates me to do even more for myself and my team.
“But I’m focused on Napoli at the moment and they have the final say. I just want to help my team win games and win trophies.
“At the end of the season, we’ll see what happens, but that’s not up to me. It’s up to the club to decide.”
For now, with Napoli opening up such a strong advantage in Serie A, the Neapolitans have been crowned champions with the season still a long way to go. It would take a collapse of gigantic proportions for them to leave empty-handed.
Manager Luciano Spalletti knows this all too well and is keeping his players grounded, especially after the shock Coppa Italia exit by Cremonese.
Osimhen expanded: “I don’t want to predict anything but we have a goal as a club and the coach has made it clear to us to take each game as it comes.
“We just want to keep trying to win every game. We know it won’t be easy. All eyes are on Napoli now because we’re doing well, which is good for us.
“To be able to win something with this club and with the kind of talent we have will be glorious for the club and the fans. But we have to work hard, keep going and take it one game at a time .and at the end of the season, we can put our heads together and see what we’ve achieved.”
For now, both Serie A and the Capocannoniere will have to settle for second place as Napoli focus beyond their borders to add to their trophy chase as they face Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.