Victor Osimhen has revealed the brutal truth behind his famous black mask: four years after a horrific clash shattered his face, the Galatasaray striker is still living with permanent nerve damage that changed how he eats, smiles, and feels every single day.
“My Left Side Is Dead”
The 26-year-old Super Eagles star no longer chews on the left side of his mouth it simply doesn’t work.
“If I try, food just falls out,” he admitted. “When I smile, only the right side moves properly. There’s constant numbness, and sometimes sharp pain shoots through.”
The Night Everything Broke
November 2021. Napoli vs Inter. A routine aerial duel turned into a nightmare when Osimhen’s chin collided with Milan Škriniar’s skull.
“My face exploded,” he recalled. Cheekbone and eye socket in pieces. Doctors warned he could lose sight in his left eye.
18 Screws, One Titanium Plate
Surgeons rebuilt his face with metal. Osimhen initially refused the operation terrified of going under the knife but realised football would be over without it.
“I had no choice,” he said quietly.
The Mask That Never Comes Off
What started as six months of protection became permanent. The black mask isn’t style or superstition it’s the only thing shielding the titanium and fragile bones underneath.
Still Unstoppable
Despite the daily reminders of that night, Osimhen is tearing up Turkey: 12 goals ⚽ 5 assists in just 15 games for Galatasaray.
Every celebration, every header, every roar from the stands he feels it all on only one side of his face.
Victor Osimhen didn’t just survive that collision. He turned half a face into one of the most feared strikers in Europe.
