Nigeria defender Calvin Bassey picks Victor Osimhen over Haaland as his toughest opponent

Nigeria international Calvin Bassey has chosen his compatriot, Victor Osimhen over Erling Haaland as his toughest opponent faced.

Bassey, who currently plies his trade for Fulham has played against both attackers. He faced Osimhen in the Champions League while in the books of Ajax before switching to the Premier League.

Despite acknowledging how challenging both forwards can be, the Fulham defender backed his compatriot without hesitation.

“You can say it’s bias, but I’m going to say Osimhen is the hardest,” Bassey said. “Haaland is not easy as well, but they are both at the same level. They are both hard to come up against.” He told Stadium Astro in an interview.

Meanwhile, Bassey has revealed that Victor Osimhen is interested in playing in the English Premier League.

Osimhen was a top transfer target for Premier League clubs including Manchester United and Chelsea, but ended up joining Galatasaray on a permanent deal.

Both Chelsea and Manchester United were keen about securing the signature of the Nigeria forward, but could not meet his wage demands, while Napoli’s €75 million valuation also stalled negotiations.

“He said yes, he is interested in the Premier League… It’s a good league — the most-watched league in the whole world,” he said.

Both players are expected to reunite soon as part of Nigeria’s squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.