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Galatasaray head coach Okan Buruk has admitted the Turkish champions were ‘scared’ after hearing of Victor Osimhen’s involvement in an emergency flight landing with the Nigerian national team, Footynaija.com reports.
The Super Eagles were returning from Polokwane, South Africa, where they defeated Lesotho 2-1 in a 2026 World Cup qualifier, when their plane made a refuelling stop in Luanda, Angola.
But just 25 minutes after take-off, the pilot detected a cracked windshield and was forced to turn back to Luanda for an emergency landing.
The team landed safely, and a replacement aircraft later flew the delegation back to Nigeria on Sunday.
Osimhen, who had assisted Akor Adams’ winning goal against Lesotho, escaped unharmed and is expected to lead the line against Benin on Tuesday in their final qualifier.
The Super Eagles striker, signed for €75 million from Napoli this summer, is Galatasaray’s biggest ever investment.
Speaking to Turkish reporters, Galatasaray boss Okan Buruk admitted the club’s anxiety whenever their Nigerian striker leaves Istanbul for international duty.
“Well, we start to get scared when we send Osimhen away, not just because the plane’s window is broken,” Buruk said as per Milliyet.
“The matches are tough, the pitches are bad, and every time we send him away, we’re afraid for the player. We’re always scared, actually. He finished the match this time but there was a problem on the plane. We were a little scared when we saw the news, but it’s nothing serious.”
Osimhen had already missed several weeks in September after sustaining an injury during another international break, a run of events that continues to make Galatasaray uneasy about his time away with Nigeria.
