The Napoli star Osimhen, who was on the field the entire time, found it difficult to have an effect as Barcelona won 3-1 on the evening to take the series 4-2 overall.
Players voiced displeasure with Osimhen’s contributions, citing worries of over-pampering and exorbitant remuneration without comparable on-field performances, which soured the mood in the dressing room.
Osimhen’s performance
Reports from the Naples-based newspaper Il Mattino (via Calcio Napoli 1926) says that there was a growing amount of dissatisfaction in the Napoli dressing room, specifically directed at Osimhen’s performance.
“Osimhen, overpaid and pampered by a club that this season has granted him everything (from treatment in Nigeria to extra holidays for personal reasons) has worn the role of the superstar without, however, repaying the generous benefits received off the pitch on the pitch, something that the locker room did not digest well.”
The Napoli team believed that even if the striker’s needs were met by the club, the striker was unable to produce crucial performances when it counted most.
“Historically, champions are granted greater freedom, as long as they prove decisive in times of need. In some ways, he is an annoying, but also divisive, leader.”
“He also appears capable of disturbing the climate of the dressing room, as when he decided (with the manager and the club) not to even go to the bench with Genoa, after his return from the African Cup of Nations.”
The African best Player on-field performance fell short of expectations despite his hefty contract extension with Napoli, which made him the highest-paid player in the history of the team.
