Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has credited Didier Drogba, Odion Ighalo and former Nigeria captain John Obi Mikel as the football figures who most profoundly shaped his rise from Lagos streets to the summit of African football.

Speaking during a Twitch livestream with comedian Carter Efe, Osimhen explained that while he attributes his success first to God and his family, the guidance and example of the three stars gave structure and direction to his ambitions.

He described Drogba as his earliest and clearest football inspiration, the player whose style and mentality he tried to mirror as a young striker. Watching the Ivorian dominate for Chelsea, Osimhen said, convinced him that an African centre forward could rule the European game and still carry the hopes of a continent.

Closer to home, Ighalo’s influence was more personal and practical. Osimhen revealed that he had visited the former Super Eagles forward at his home a day before the interview, calling him a big brother whose advice has guided key decisions in his career. He praised Ighalo as a great footballer and a legend whose words carry weight because he has walked the same path of pressure, criticism and expectation.

Mikel’s impact, Osimhen recalled, came in the form of quiet generosity during his first Super Eagles camp. Nervous and still trying to find his feet among established stars, the young striker approached the Chelsea icon after a team meal. Mikel invited him to his room and, without fanfare, handed him a cash gift in pounds. Osimhen declined to reveal the amount but said the gesture went far beyond money, giving him confidence and a sense of belonging in the national team.

He also paid tribute to the Nigerian greats he watched as a child, reeling off names like Nwankwo Kanu, Austin Jay-Jay Okocha and Mikel as the heroes who made Super Eagles games a ritual for his generation. Long before he earned his first cap, he said, Ighalo was already “running the show” for Nigeria, setting a standard he was determined to match.

For Osimhen, the journey from fan to national-team talisman has been built on faith, family and the examples of African stars who showed him what was possible.