Last season, Victor Osimhen gave delight to Napoli fans after decades of pain. The terrible lows came after the late great Diego Maradona produced two Serie A titles in 1986/87 and 1989/90.

Osimhen is in his fourth season at the club and recently matched a record established by the Argentine icon.

In the 2023/24 season, the Nigerian became the first African to win the Serie A Golden Boot after scoring 26 goals. This season, their title defence is in tatters, as Osimhen made a sluggish start to the season.

They have changed managers three times already and are lying eighth in the table, 26 points behind the leaders, Inter Milan.

The African Footballer of the Year will certainly leave at the end of this season, and the list of his pursuers grows by the day. Sports Brief looks at the numbers of the two club icons in their first four seasons at Napoli.

The 25-year-old attacker joined Napoli in 2020 from French side Lille for $96 million, making him the most expensive African footballer ever.

He has more than repaid the faith and lived up to the transfer fee. Before Osimhen, Napoli had not won a league title since the 1989–90 season. In the 2022–23 season, that changed.

That season, Osimhen produced his best campaign at the Partenopei. He scored 31 goals in 39 outings, 26 in Serie A, and five in the Champions League. His goals in the league helped the team win their first league title in 33 years.

Since joining the club, Osimhen has played 122 games, scored 72 goals, and contributed 18 assists. He has played 98 games in the Serie A and scored 61 goals. He is now 13th on the club’s list of all-time goal scorers.

The Super Eagles player experienced a devastating eye socket injury in November 2021, which saw him miss three months of activity. He has worn a face mask while recovering from the injuries.

If he stays at the club for the foreseeable future, he could solidify his reputation as one of Napoli’s icons.

Maradona is one of the best football players of all time. The best stint of his career was when he played for Napoli from 1984 until 1991.

He delivered unparalleled success to the club during that period. They won two Scudetti, a UEFA Cup, a Coppa Italia, and an Italian Super Cup, per These Football Times. He also finished as the Serie A top scorer in 1988.

During that period, Maradona delivered a memorable performance at the 1986 World Cup with Argentina, in which they won.

The Argentine superstar scored 115 goals for Napoli. In his first four seasons at the club, he tallied 68 goals and gave 34 assists.

However, Maradona’s career cannot be measured by statistics. He was a larger-than-life footballer. After he died in 2020, Napoli renamed their stadium, Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, after Stadio San Paolo.

Here’s how Osimhen’s stats in his four seasons at Napoli compare to Maradona.

Games

Goals

Assists

Diego Maradona

145

68

34

Victor Osimhen

122

72

18

Osimhen matched Maradona’s record

After his hat-trick against Sassuolo, the African Footballer of the Year boosted his tally in the Serie A to 11 goals.

The Nigerian striker has now scored at least 10 Serie A goals in four straight seasons. Since joining Napoli in 2020 from Lille, Osimhen has scored 10, 14, 26, and 11 goals in the last four Serie A seasons, respectively.