“I Smile One-Sided, Food Falls From My Mouth — Osimhen On Injury
Galatasaray forward Victor Osimhen has revealed that he is still feeling the pain of the facial injury he suffered in 2021, which has left him with a permanent protective mask.
It would be recalled that Osimhen sustained the injury in November 2021 during a Serie A match between Napoli and Inter Milan after a collision with Milan Škriniar.
The accident left him with multiple facial fractures, including a broken cheekbone and eye socket, and he required 18 screws and a titanium plate during reconstructive surgery.
In a recent conversation with MMA champion Kerim Engizek, Osimhen said that nerve damage from the injury still affects his ability to eat.
He said: “Now, I only eat on the right side of my face. I can’t eat through the other side. The left side doesn’t function properly anymore.”
Recalling the incident, while opening up on the pains, four years later.
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He said: “A cross came in from the wing. I went up for the header, and he pulled his head back. It wasn’t intentional, but I hit his skull with my chin and the bone shattered everywhere.
“They took me to a hospital in Milan. First, they checked with an X-ray, then they ordered an MRI. The doctor said, ‘You need surgery.’ I refused at first — ‘There’s no way I’m having surgery.’ But it was the only way to continue playing football. I had no choice.”
He added, “I still feel numbness and sometimes pain. When I smile, only one side of my mouth moves fully. Eating is the biggest daily reminder; food falls out if I try to use the left side.”
The protective mask, originally prescribed after surgery, remains part of his equipment due to the lasting effects of the injury.
Osimhen has enjoyed an impressive start to the 2025-26 season with 14 goals for club and country including a memorable hat-trick against Benin Republic in the World Cup qualifiers.
