Victor Osimhen had every reason to celebrate after his goal helped Galatasaray secure a crucial 4–2 victory over Lille in the UEFA Champions League, but the Nigerian striker chose a different response when the ball hit the net.
After scoring in the 61st minute at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Wednesday, 21 October, Osimhen raised his hands before bringing them together towards the home supporters.
While his Galatasaray teammates moved to celebrate with him, the forward remained subdued, facing the crowd that had once watched him represent their club.
The gesture was widely interpreted as an apology to Lille’s supporters, although Osimhen had not, at the time of writing, publicly explained his precise intention in a verified postmatch statement.
What made the moment significant was not simply that he had scored against his former employers. It was the history between the striker and the French club, where he spent a single season establishing himself as one of Europe’s most exciting young forwards.
Victor Osimhen refused to celebrate against former club Lille after scoring for Galatasaray. Photo Credit: Getty
How Osimhen became a Lille player
Osimhen joined Lille from Belgian side Charleroi in August 2019, signing a five-year contract after impressing during his time in Belgium. He had scored 12 league goals in 25 appearances for Charleroi in the preceding campaign, helping convince Lille to bring him to France.
The move represented an important step in the Nigerian’s career. After an earlier spell at German club Wolfsburg, where opportunities had been limited, his performances in Belgium had given him another platform to demonstrate his ability.
At Lille, he made an immediate impression. Osimhen combined pace, movement and a willingness to attack defenders with an eye for goal, quickly becoming a central figure in the team’s attack.
He finished the 2019/20 season with 18 goals in 38 appearances across all competitions, alongside four assists, according to Lille’s official announcement when he left the club. His 13 Ligue 1 goals also placed him among the division’s leading scorers that season.
Those numbers help explain why Lille supporters held him in such regard. Osimhen was not a player who passed briefly through the club without leaving a mark; he delivered a productive season and became an important part of its attacking identity.
Why he left after just one season
Osimhen’s progress at Lille attracted attention from some of Europe’s biggest clubs, and Napoli eventually secured his signature.
On 31 July 2020, Lille confirmed that the Nigerian international had completed a permanent transfer to the Italian club. Napoli announced the signing on the same day, with reports at the time placing the deal among the most expensive transfers involving an African player.
His departure brought an end to a brief but influential spell in France. In just one season, he had scored 18 times, developed his reputation at the highest level and earned a move that would take his career into another phase.
Osimhen subsequently became a leading figure at Napoli, helping the club win the 2022/23 Serie A title with his prolific goalscoring. He later moved to Galatasaray, initially on loan before joining the Turkish club permanently in 2025.
Photo Credit: Getty
The goal that changed the mood in Lille
Wednesday’s match was far from straightforward for Galatasaray. Yunus Akgün gave the visitors an early lead, but Lille responded through Soriba Diaoune, who scored twice as the hosts moved ahead 2–1 before Aleksey Batrakov equalized just before half-time.
Galatasaray regained the advantage after the break when a corner resulted in an own goal, before Osimhen delivered the decisive attacking moment.
In the 61st minute, Barış Alper Yılmaz found the Nigerian forward during a counterattack. Osimhen struck first time from range, sending the ball beyond goalkeeper Berke Özer to make it 4–2.
It was his first Champions League goal of the 2026/27 campaign, and it arrived against a club whose supporters had seen the early stages of his rise in European football.
Instead of running away in celebration, Osimhen turned towards the Lille crowd and made his gesture. His teammates soon joined him, but his response remained restrained.
An act of respect for a former club
Footballers often choose not to celebrate when they score against a former team, particularly when they have enjoyed a positive relationship with its supporters.
Such gestures can acknowledge the role a club played in a player’s development and recognize the affection that once existed between them.
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Osimhen’s history with Lille gives that interpretation weight. His 2019/20 campaign was a breakthrough season in France, and the club’s own farewell announcement praised the talent, ambition, humility and professionalism he had shown during his time there.
That does establish exactly what he was thinking when he brought his hands together in front of the supporters.
