Victor Osimhen made global headlines for his acrobatic goal in the closing minutes of Galatasaray’s 3-0 rout of Antalyaspor at the Corendon Airlines Park Antalya Stadı on Saturday, October 19.
After coming off the bench to replace Mauro Icardi in the 78th minute, the Nigeria international wrapped up the scoring with a goal for the ages.
Osimhen overpowered his marker before producing a powerful overhead kick to put the ball into the net, after a free-kick was floated into the box by Hakim Ziyech.
According to reports in Turkey, including NTV, Osimhen’s overhead kick goal against Antalyaspor in the Super Lig went down in history as one of two overhead kick goals in world football history to exceed the 2.30-meter height limit.
The record is held by Real Madrid legend Ronaldo, who scored with an overhead kick from a height of 2.38 meters during the Champions League quarterfinal match between Real Madrid and Juventus in April 2018.
Osimhen’s overhead kick reached a height of 2.32 meters, falling 0.06 meters short of Ronaldo’s.
The Napoli loanee returned with a bang after missing Galatasaray’s last two matches due to a muscle strain he suffered against Kasimpasa on September 28, an ailment that saw him omitted from the Super Eagles squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Libya.
Reacting to his goal, the reigning African Footballer of the Year revealed that he allowed the ball bounce because it made things easier as the defender managed to catch up with him.
Osimhen has had a brilliant start to life in a Galatasaray shirt, registering six goal involvements in five matches.
Ifeanyi Emmanuel
