German luxury automaker Mercedes-Benz has escalated a financial dispute with Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen, filing a formal complaint with Italian authorities over an alleged unpaid balance on a leased vehicle worth approximately €90,000 — roughly ₦142 million.
According to Italian outlet Napolista, the company notified the Carabinieri after Osimhen allegedly failed to complete the purchase of a car he leased in 2023 and has since refused to return it. No official response has been issued by the striker’s representatives.
The allegation comes as a surprise given Osimhen’s remarkable financial standing. The 26-year-old currently earns in excess of €20 million per year at Galatasaray a salary that made him the highest-paid player in the history of the Turkish Süper Lig when he joined last summer. At that wage, the disputed amount represents little more than a week’s pay.
Osimhen’s rise to the top has been nothing short of extraordinary. After spells in Belgium and France, he cemented his name in footballing history during four seasons at Napoli, where he spearheaded the club’s first Scudetto triumph in nearly 40 years — a title that earned him the CAF Footballer of the Year award and near-legendary status among the Neapolitan faithful. He has since continued that winning form in Istanbul, helping Galatasaray clinch the Süper Lig title and scoring in a commanding 3-0 derby victory over Fenerbahce just last weekend — a match he personally flew a group of Nigerian fans in to witness.
Off the pitch, the striker is widely known for his generosity, often publicly supporting family members, friends, and strangers through social media. He has equally cultivated a taste for luxury, recently giving a content creator a tour of his car collection — which includes two Lamborghinis, a Rolls-Royce, and a Mercedes-Benz, the latter widely believed to be the vehicle at the centre of this dispute.
With his reputation carefully built both on and off the field, Osimhen will be eager to resolve the matter swiftly and without further distraction.
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