Liberian President and former Manchester City striker, George Weah has congratulated Nigerian and Napoli star, Victor Osimhen, after he set a new record in the Italian Serie A.
Osimhen, who has scored 47 goals in the league, became the African player with the highest number of goals in Serie A, surpassing Weah’s 23-year record.
Weah, who played for AC Milan in five seasons, scored a total of 46 Serie A goals in 114 games to hold the record of Africa’s most successful goal-scorer in the Italian league.
Last Sunday, Osimhen scored his 47th Serie A goal to snatch the crown from Weah.
Osimhen’s 74th-minute penalty saw the already-declared Serie A champions, Napoli, beat Fiorentina 1-0 to move to 83 points, 17 ahead of second-placed Juventus, with four matches left.
“I am so proud of your (Osimhen) exploits and congratulate you on this remarkable achievement, which is a result of your hard work, dedication and tenacity,” Weah told Osimhen on Facebook.
“The records show that with this goal, which you netted on Sunday, May 7, 2023 when your team Napoli went against Fiorentina, effectively makes you the African with the highest scoring record in the Italian Serie A league – surpassing my own account of 46 goals,” said the Liberian leader.
Osimhen has been swimming in tributes since powering Napoli to their first Serie A win in 33 years.
“You have to remain humble, tenacious and focused. Don’t be distracted,” Weah advised the 24-year-old Nigerian star.
Besides Milan, Weah also played for Chelsea, PSG, Monaco, Olympique Marseille, among other clubs.
Other African players who have scored a high number of goals in the Serie A are Senegal’s Khouma Babar (39 for Fiorentina), Sierra Leone’s Mohamed Kallon (39 for Inter Milan) and Senegal’s Keita Balde (36 for Lazio, Inter Milan and Sampdoria).
