Napoli fans have voted Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen as the best striker to ever play for the club, picking him ahead of former Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani and ex-Argentina forward Gonzalo Higuain.
Massive social media reactions have been triggered by a video that was shot on the streets of Napoli, where a journalist asked various club supporters to pick the best striker to have ever played for the team.
In the viral clip posted by EuroFoot on X, fans heading to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium ahead of the team’s Champions League home match versus Barcelona were asked to identify the best striker to have ever worn the Napoli jersey.
Osimhen, Cavani, and Higuain were the options given. The poll’s top two selections and the reasons behind them were immediately clear within minutes of its launch.
The results of the poll sparked reactions as the 25-year-old Nigerian emerged as the winner; Osimhen got 20 votes out of the 40 cast, with Cavani earning 14 and Gonzalo defeating the club’s former strikers Cavani and Higuain.
💭🇮🇹 Napoli fans choose between Cavani, Higuaín and Osimhen… pic.twitter.com/bveR8pvqeX
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) February 23, 2024
Social media reactions from the result
Here are some of the reactions that trailed the viral poll, as per legit.ng:
@dipoaina1: “Osimhen >>>>>>> Cavani >>>>>> Higuain.”
@iamBoaz_: “Higuain is very useless. What did Cavani win ft or Napoli. Osimhen is far better than the two.”
@Royal_Citizens: “Most chose Osimhen due to recency bias.”
Three great strikers
The three strikers have defined Napoli’s recent history in recent years.
Edinson Cavani
Cavani, after originally joining Napoli on loan before moving there permanently in 2010, made a name for himself as a dominant player in Serie A very quickly.
During his time there, Cavani scored 29 league goals in 2012–13 to lead Serie A and assisted Napoli in winning the Coppa Italia in 2012.
He scored an incredible 104 goals in 138 games during his time at Napoli, showcasing his crucial contribution to the team’s success and earning the moniker “El Matador” for his coolness in front of goal and precision finishing.
Gonzalo Higuain
Notable was Higuaín’s tenure with Napoli from 2013 until 2016. With 36 goals in the league during the 2015-16 season, Higuaín smashed previous records and established a new record for the most goals in a season in Serie A.
During his time with Napoli, this accomplishment highlighted his value to the team and confirmed his place among the top attackers in the world. While he was in Napoli, Higuaín scored a lot of goals, though the squad did not win the Serie A championship.
Victor Osimhen
The current African Best Player is the last of the three players to sign with Napoli, left Lille in 2020 in a transfer that set a club record. Osimhen has been a powerful attacking option for Napoli thanks to his quickness, work ethic, and goal-scoring prowess during his time there.
Even though he hasn’t spent as much time at Napoli as Cavani and Higuaín have, he has already made a bigger impression on the team by helping them win their first Serie A championship in thirty-three years and being the first African to win the top scorer award with 26 goals.
The dynamic forward has also surpassed George Weah’s record of 46 goals in the 2022–2023 season to become the highest-scoring African player in Serie A.
These strikers each offered something special to Napoli. During his time there, Cavani was known for his versatility as an attacker and for having a major role in the team’s victories, such as the Coppa Italia.
Higuaín’s season of record-breaking goals is still a source of pride for him and a testament to his finishing prowess. Meanwhile, Osimhen’s goals contributed immensely to the team winning their first league title in thirty-three years.
