Osimhen gets a king's reception, breaks Drogba's record

The wait was long, but it paid off in the end – the king of Istanbul has returned! The euphoria sparked by Victor Osimhen's decision not to chase Arab money or the calls from clubs in Europe’s top five leagues will likely be talked about and retold for a long time. He returned to where he was embraced like one of their own, where he gave everything he had for the championship title. That’s why Galatasaray decided to cross all red lines and complete the most expensive transfer in Turkish football history with Napoli, agreeing on a deal worth 75 million euros, paid in several installments. Just a few days after the deal between Galatasaray and Napoli was finalized and the paperwork exchanged, fans of Turkey’s biggest club could hardly wait to welcome the Nigerian lion once again – to show him immense love and gratitude for staying despite everything. The hype built up for days, peaking around 22h Nairobi time. Galatasaray launched a campaign and released a promo video where people across the global metropolis were shown wearing the nose mask that has become Osimhen’s trademark in recent years. Social media exploded with messages and photos of people wearing similar masks as a clear sign of his return to Istanbul – from small children to the club’s oldest fans. After such preparation and execution of this massive transfer, the welcome had to be passionate, emotional, and fiery.

Photos even appeared online of people tracking Osimhen’s flight to Istanbul on aviation websites, drinking beer and snacking. Galatasaray streamed a graphic of his flight from Braunschweig on its official app and YouTube channel, and as the plane neared the airport, many rushed out to greet their hero. Around 22h, Osimhen landed – and what followed was an explosion of emotion like never before! According to unconfirmed reports, more than 10,000 – some say 15,000 or even up to 20,000 – fanatics welcomed him at the airport! The Nigerian emerged from the plane with his partner and their daughter, greeted by Vice President Abdullah Kavukcu. And as soon as he appeared at the exit, hundreds of people managed to push to the front lines – from fans to journalists – to be near him.

"I'm home, where I want to be," Osimhen said in his first statement, thanking the club’s management and fans for the surreal welcome, and then added in perfect Turkish: "Only Galata."

According to current reports, the crowd that greeted Osimhen put on an unprecedented reception, record-breaking in scale! Previously, around 10,000 people had turned out to welcome Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder, but last night Galatasaray fans, dressed in red and yellow jerseys, had filled the area in front of the airport hours in advance and put on a spectacle. They chanted “Osimhen, lion of Istanbul,” his name echoed everywhere, and eventually, strong police forces had to intervene to keep the crowd under control. As they left the scene, the van carrying Osimhen and his family was showered with red and yellow flowers.

To recap, Galatasaray paid Napoli 40 million up front, plus another €5 million in two installments by July of next year. A so-called "Anti-Italy" clause was included, which prohibits Galatasaray from selling Osimhen to any Italian club until June 2027. Serie A's reigning champion also gets a potential five million euros in bonuses and 10% of any future sale. Osimhen, who scored 37 goals in 41 matches, will receive a net salary of 18 million euros, plus an additional 10 million potentially from endorsements and sponsorship deals.