THE MASKED ASSASSIN

Napoli's march to the Scudetto has been led by their unstoppable masked centre-forward

- Nick Bidwell

Is it any wonder that Napoli fans have a daily ritual of swarming around the car of striker Victor Osimhen at the entrance to the club's training ground, imploring the Nigerian for a photo or an autograph?

Devoted followers of Napoli, arguably the most ebullient and passionate fanbase in Europe, know a good thing when they see it. This season - an allconquering edition which, by the time you're reading this, is likely to have seen Gli Azzurri clinch their first Serie A title in 33 years the soundtrack of success has owed much to the 24-year-old Osimhen's sense of rhythm, the backbeat provided by the rat-a-tat-tat of his explosive finishing, an almost weekly tour de force.

Whether straightforward opportunistic finishes with either foot, lashing the ball home from all angles - even when wide out and apparently not a threat or leaping high to power in a header, Osimhen has defied the sports convention that you only intermittently inhabit the "zone", that state of peak performance where an athlete can do no wrong. Prior to damaging an abductor muscle in March, Victor had been sensational without a pause.

Inevitably, Osimhen is one of the hottest properties in world football at the moment. Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain would love to have him at the point of their attack. However the Premier League is a much more likely destination, with Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea all linked with a big summer move.