The 25-year-old Napoli striker may have been the obvious bet to finish as the tournament's top scorer, having netted 10 times in qualifying, twice as many goals as the next most prolific marksmen.
Nevertheless, he has found the net just once as the West African nation prepares for the semifinals of the tournament. However, that does not tell anything like the whole story of the masked forward's AFCON so far.
Osimhen scored in Nigeria’s first match in Ivory Coast, which ended in an underwhelming 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea. He won the penalty which captain William Troost-Ekong scored in the 1-0 victory over Ivory Coast, and then played all 90 minutes of the final group game against Guinea-Bissau when he could well have been rested.
The Napoli striker then turned in an awe-inspiring performance in the 2-0 last-16 win over the Super Eagles' old rivals Cameroon, harassing and pressing the opposition defense all evening and setting up the opening goal. He put up another exemplary performance in the Super Eagles quarterfinals clash against Angola’s Palanca Negras.
" It is not easy to stop that guy! Ask the defenders of the opposition how they suffer," said Nigeria’s charismatic coach, Jose Peseiro said, referring to Osimhen.
Nigeria's coach Jose Peseiro speaks with Victor Osimhen during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final against Angola at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan on February 2, 2024.
The Portuguese manager has made clear that he sees not conceding goals as the key to success at the tournament, despite boasting an embarrassment of attacking riches beyond Osimhen.
But his tireless number nine is the first line of defense with the amount of running he puts in, which is all the more impressive in the sapping heat and humidity of West Africa.
Osimhen collapsed to the turf at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium when the half-time whistle went against Cameroon but recovered suitably to continue chasing down the opposition defense in the second half while also whipping the Abidjan crowd up into a frenzy.
"Osimhen plays with passion. That's what every country wants their players to do," former Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan, Africa’s all-time top scorer at the FIFA World Cup, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
As for the goals, Osimhen and Nigeria will hope the striker is saving them up for the final stages of the competition.
More than anything, however, his performances and incredible work-rate back up what he told AFP in an interview at the Nigeria team base earlier in the tournament.
"I don't want to put myself in the center but of course a lot of people say this. But I think more like a team player," Osimhen said.
"I really don't care even whether I start or not. For me to be there playing with them is a big one for me. I just want to keep on helping the team," he added.