Victor Osimhen has finally opened up on the horror behind the facial injury that nearly destroyed his career, and left him living with permanent daily pain.
The Nigerian striker recounted the terrifying day at the San Siro when a brutal clash with Milan Skriniar shattered multiple bones in his face.

Instead of the smooth rise expected after his mega-money move to Napoli, Osimhen’s early years were plagued by setbacks.
But nothing compared to the Inter Milan collision that left him concussed, unconscious, and barely recognisable.

Scans unveiled a nightmare: a dislodged eye, a broken jaw, and a face fractured in multiple places.
Surgeons inserted six plates and eighteen screws to rebuild him, forcing him out for three months and ruling him out of AFCON 2021.

“That injury was like a near-death experience,” Osimhen said in quotes shared by OneFootball. “I felt every bit of it. It was hell.”
He described endless sleepless nights, unbearable pain, and the terrifying struggle to eat.

Still, he stubbornly refused stretcher assistance, walking off the pitch himself.
“That’s when I knew I could fight through anything,” he said.

Osimhen revealed to MMA champion Kerim Engizek that he now eats only on one side of his mouth to avoid pressure on the metal implants.
The striker relived the moment he initially refused surgery, until doctors warned he would never play again without it.

He eventually agreed to a surgical incision through his jaw to avoid facial scarring.
“Now I only chew on the right side. There’s too much metal on the left,” he said.

Despite the trauma, Osimhen continues to tower in aerial duels, with 41 headed goals out of 191 career strikes.
His mask has become a symbol of survival, a reminder of the gladiator mentality he carries onto every pitch.