Gary Lineker has apologised to Nigerian international Victor Osimhen for doubting the Galatasaray striker’s quality as one of the best players in football.
Lineker, a former England striker turned analyst, issued the apology on Friday on his podcast ‘The Rest is Football’.
Lineker’s apology comes days after Osimhen scored the winning goal from the spot and earned Galatasaray a shocking 1-0 win over Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) match on Tuesday.
Osimhen terrorised the central defence duo of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahim Konate on a night he made history by becoming the highest scoring Nigerian in the UCL.
The performance caught the attention of Lineker, who confessed to Osimhen’s pitch prowess, dispelling his earlier utterance that the 25-year-old failed to perform in big matches.
Lineker then described the Nigerian forward as “a hell of player”.
“I need to apologise to Victor Osimhen,” Lineker said.
“I remember I intimated that perhaps he goes missing sometimes, and I believe that is actually completely not the case.
“I’m sorry about that. You shouldn’t spout rumours on these things. My bad, my bad on that.
“I saw him play against Leicester in the competition a few years ago, in Europe, and he was exceptional.
“You really get a feel for somebody when you’re in a stadium. He’s quick, he’s tall, he’s a good finisher, he’s brilliant in the air, he’s a hell of a player.”
For the past few seasons, many European football powerhouses have been linked with Osimhen.
Chelsea were the closest of the suitors but a deal reportedly fell apart over wage negotiations.
Osimhen would eventually join Galatasaray on loan last season after falling out with parent side Napoli.
He scored a record 37 goals in all competitions before the club broke Turkish transfer record of 75 million to sign him permanently a few months ago.
Osimhen has three goals in five appearances so far this season.
