Jose Mourinho criticizes Victor Osimhen’s on-field behaviour despite good relationship

Former Manchester United manager José Mourinho has taken a swipe at Super Eagles star Victor Osimhen, criticizing his on-field behavior despite maintaining a positive relationship with the Nigerian striker.

In a video circulating on social media, Mourinho expressed his displeasure with Osimhen’s tendency to dive during matches. The comments follow the striker’s international duty with Nigeria and come at a time when Osimhen has joined Turkish side Galatasaray on loan.

“I don’t have problems with Victor, in fact, we have a very good relationship,” Mourinho said. “But every time I play against him, I speak with him because I don’t like the way he behaves. He dives too much.”

Mourinho, who now manages Fenerbahce, highlighted their previous encounters, particularly when Roma faced Napoli in Serie A. He also compared Osimhen to African football legends like Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, and George Weah, urging him to maintain a high standard of conduct.

“I told him, you are one of the two best African players—it’s you and Salah. In the past, it was Drogba, Eto’o, and Weah. You cannot behave like this,” Mourinho added, pointing to the striker’s stature in African football.

Despite the criticism, Mourinho emphasised that their disagreements are temporary. “After 10 minutes, we are fine, we have a good relationship,” he concluded.

Osimhen’s move to Galatasaray comes amid a challenging summer that included a failed transfer to Chelsea and tensions with his former club Napoli. With Mourinho now managing Galatasaray’s rivals, Fenerbahce, the Turkish Super Lig is set for intense matchups between the two, both on and off the pitch.