Tolu Arokodare Shares How Victor Osimhen Tried Helping His Career and Why It Failed
- Arokodare revealed that Victor Osimhen personally spoke to a club president in Belgium to help secure him a move to Europe
- Visa rejections denied the striker chances at clubs in Germany, France, and Belgium before he finally broke through in Latvia
- Arokodare has since scored 13 goals and provided four assists in 19 games for Ajax after a £24 million move to Wolverhampton Wanderers
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Super Eagles striker Tolu Arokodare has revealed that Victor Osimhen once went out of his way to help him secure a move to Europe, but visa problems meant the opportunity never came to fruition.
The Lagos grassroots product was turned away multiple times, not through lack of talent, but through administrative barriers that blocked his path at every turn.
Source: Getty Images
Speaking on the Counter Attack Podcast, Arokodare recounted a painful stretch of failed attempts to break into European football before he eventually found his footing.
"I went to trial in Freiburg, but it didn't work out. Then I went to Toulouse, I won't say it didn't work because I was supposed to go back for pre-season, but then I didn't get visa," he said.
Osimhen's personal intervention
A fourth opportunity, this time in Belgium with Royal Charleroi, also collapsed despite Osimhen stepping in directly.
Osimhen, who was at Charleroi at the time and building his own reputation in Europe, persuaded the club's president to take a look at Arokodare. The two players shared the same agent, which made the introduction easier, but the result was the same.
"I was supposed to go to Royal Charleroi in Belgium; Osimhen was there, he spoke to the president, and we had the same agent then; it also didn't work out because I didn't get the visa," Arokodare explained.
His eventual route into European football ran through Latvia, though even that path was complicated.
There was no Latvian embassy in Nigeria at the time, and it took a lawyer with a stake in Valmeira FC, connected to his agent, to arrange the signing. Getting the visa still proved difficult until the club president stepped in to resolve the situation.
From Latvia to Ajax
Once in Latvia, Arokodare began to build the momentum his career needed. Loan spells at FC Köln in Germany and SC Amiens in France followed, before a permanent move to Genk in Belgium proved the turning point.
His performances there attracted the attention of Wolverhampton Wanderers, who signed him for £24 million.
His debut Premier League season was difficult. Wolves were relegated, and he was subsequently loaned to Ajax, where he has rediscovered his best form. Across all competitions for the Eredivisie club, he has scored 13 goals and provided four assists in 19 appearances, as noted by Super Eagles.
Osimhen's connection to his career did not end with that failed Belgium move. It was the Galatasaray forward who made way during Nigeria's match against Rwanda in September 2025 to allow Arokodare to make his international debut for the Super Eagles.
Chelle sends message to Arokodare
Legit.ng previously reported that Eric Chelle hailed Tolu Arokodare as one of the best strikers in the world when inside the box.
The AFC Ajax loanee came off the bench to deliver two goals, which lifted Nigeria above the Taifa Stars and got AFCON qualification on track.
Source: Legit.ng
