Napoli manager Rudi Garcia recently likened Victor Osimhen to Cristiano Ronaldo when asked about the Nigeria international in an interview.
Garcia was appointed as the head coach of Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr on June 29, 2022, prior to the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The pair worked together upon the Portugal superstar’s arrival in January for close to three months before the former left the club by mutual agreement on April 13.
The Frenchman was shown the door despite boasting an impressive win percentage of 69.23, winning 18 of his 26 games in charge.
The reason was likely due to a lack of silverware, with Al-Nassr failing to win the league, Saudi Super Cup, or King Cup of Champions.
Garcia replaced Luciano Spalletti as Napoli’s manager on June 15, marking his return to Serie A after seven years.
The club had an industrious 2022–23 campaign, winning the league and finishing at the summit with 90 points.Much of their success was due to the stellar form of star forward Victor Osimhen.
The 24-year-old had an incredible season, scoring 31 goals and providing five assists in 39 appearances across all competitions.Rudi Garcia spoke to DAZN Heroes about the opportunity to work with Osimhen, saying (via Tuttosport):
“Victor is a crazy dragger: he wants to win and drags the team. A bit like Cristiano Ronaldo: when he wins he’s delighted, he calls the team, he wants to take a souvenir photo… I like it, he’s one of the best in the world as a centre-forward. It’s nice to see that a player who could only play the offensive phase defends like crazy, presses, comes back, helps the team.”
Despite being monitored by the likes of Manchester United and Bayern Munich, Osimhen is reportedly set to sign a new three-year deal at Napoli that includes a mammoth €150 million release clause.