Gary Lineker apologises to Victor Osimhen over unverified allegations

England legend and pundit Gary Lineker has apologised to Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen for an earlier statement he made about the Galatasaray player’s work ethic.

🗣️ @GaryLineker: “I need to apologise to @VictorOsimhen9

Gary 🤝 Victor Osimhen pic.twitter.com/qe0LSSPVvl

— The Rest Is Football (@RestIsFootball) October 3, 2025

Lineker had a successful career playing for the England national team, Barcelona and Leicester City among others, and is also a veteran journalist who hosts his podcast The Rest is Football Podcast, co-hosted with fellow ex-English pros Micah Richards and Alan Shearer.

Earlier, during the 2025 summer transfer market, the 64-year-old suggested that behind-the-scenes concerns may have influenced various clubs from signing Osimhen.

“l”ve heard whispers that he sometimes he goes missing for a few days, which has led to some questions about his character.”

On the recent episode shared on YouTube while analyzing Matchday 2 from the UEFA Champions League, Lineker took out time to apologize for his initial statement.

Before addressing the Galatasaray vs Liverpool match, where Osimhen scored the winning goal in the Turkish side’s 1-0 victory, Lineker said he was sorry for what he said based on rumours.

“I need to apologise to Victor Osimhen. Remember, I intimated that he goes missing sometimes. And I believe that is actually completely not the case. So Victor, if you’re listening, I’m sorry about that. You shouldn’t spout rumours on these things, so my bad on that.”

He went on to praise Osimhen’s physical and technical qualities, with his co-host, Shearer, chiming in on how he dominated Ibrahima Konate and Virgil Van Dijk in Galatasaray’s triumph over Liverpool a few days ago.