Gary Lineker has publicly expressed regret to Nigerian international Victor Osimhen for previously questioning the Galatasaray striker’s status among football’s elite.
The former England forward and current football commentator made the admission during his podcast, ‘The Rest is Football,’ on Friday.
This apology followed Osimhen’s decisive penalty goal that secured a stunning 1-0 victory for Galatasaray against Liverpool in their recent UEFA Champions League clash.
Throughout the match, Osimhen relentlessly challenged Liverpool’s central defenders, Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahim Konate, while also setting a new record as the highest-scoring Nigerian in Champions League history.
Lineker acknowledged Osimhen’s outstanding display, retracting his earlier claim that the 25-year-old striker tends to underperform in crucial games.
He went on to praise Osimhen as “an exceptional talent.”
“I owe Victor Osimhen an apology,” Lineker admitted.
“I previously suggested that he might disappear in important matches, but that’s clearly not true.
“I shouldn’t have made assumptions without proper evidence. That was my mistake.
“I watched him play against Leicester in a European fixture a few years back, and he was outstanding.
“Being at the stadium gives you a real sense of a player’s qualities. He’s fast, tall, clinical in front of goal, excellent in aerial duels-truly a remarkable player.”
Over recent seasons, Osimhen has attracted interest from several top European clubs.
Chelsea came closest to securing his signature, but negotiations reportedly collapsed due to disagreements over salary terms.
After a fallout with his parent club Napoli, Osimhen moved to Galatasaray on loan last season.
He netted a record-breaking 37 goals across all competitions, prompting Galatasaray to make his transfer permanent by paying a Turkish record fee of €75 million a few months ago.
So far this season, Osimhen has scored three goals in five matches, continuing to demonstrate his value on the pitch.
