Victor Osimhen has launched a blistering attack on his former club Napoli, accusing the Italian champions of breaking promises, humiliating him publicly and subjecting him to racist abuse before his move to Galatasaray.

The Nigeria striker, now leading the line for the Turkish giants, said his relationship with Napoli collapsed after what he described as a “gentleman’s agreement” over his future was ignored and the club began to treat him “like a dog.”

Osimhen revealed that when he signed a contract extension in Naples, he did so on the understanding he would be allowed to leave the following summer if a major offer arrived. According to him, that pledge was never honoured, and instead he was pushed toward destinations he did not want.

“They tried to send me anywhere to play, but they treated me like a dog. Go here, go there, do this, do that. I worked so hard to build my career, and I couldn’t accept that kind of treatment. I’m not a puppet,” he said in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.

Osimhen had been the symbol of Napoli’s resurgence, firing 26 league goals as the club won a historic Serie A title, their first since the Diego Maradona era. Yet he said the bond with the city and its supporters was shattered when Napoli’s official TikTok account posted a mocking video after he missed a penalty against Bologna, followed by the emergence of another clip referring to his head as a “coconut.”

“After Napoli posted that video on TikTok, something broke,” he said. “Anyone can miss a penalty, and anyone can be mocked for it. Napoli did it only to me, and with certain kinds of insinuations as well. I was the victim of racist insults, and I made my decision. I wanted to leave.”

Osimhen said he deleted photos of himself in Napoli colours from social media, only to see the club “turn the fans against me.” He added that no public apology ever came from the hierarchy, despite private calls from vice president Edoardo De Laurentiis.

Amid the fallout, Osimhen said Juventus made a serious attempt to sign him through sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli, but Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis refused to sanction the move. By the time Antonio Conte arrived as coach and personally asked him to stay, Osimhen insisted his mind was made up.

Now at Galatasaray, he has already faced Juventus in the Champions League, helping dismantle the Italian side 5-2 with a dominant, two-assist performance that underlined exactly what his former club have lost.