Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler has sparked a backlash from football fans after ruling out Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen as a world-class forward, while controversially including Liverpool attackers Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Fowler made the assessment during a quick-fire “Are these strikers world-class?” segment with ESPN UK, where he was asked to give his verdict on some of the leading forwards in world football.
The former England striker answered “yes” when asked about Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane but said “no” to Osimhen, Victor Gyokeres, Ousmane Dembélé, Lautaro Martinez, Julian Alvarez, Marcus Thuram and Joao Pedro.
However, his assessment of Isak and Ekitike drew particular criticism, with Fowler admitting that he was selecting Isak as world-class because “he’s played for Liverpool”. He also included Ekitike, although he described the Frenchman as a potential world-class striker and again referred to his Liverpool connection.
His verdict on Osimhen immediately drew reactions from fans, many of whom questioned how the Galatasaray striker could be excluded while Liverpool players were included.
One fan, @noldeezxr, asked, “How is Osimhen not world class?” before arguing that the Nigerian is among the top four strikers in the world.
Another fan, @Chrisangelo635, said none of Liverpool’s strikers was better than Osimhen and called for a Premier League club to meet the Nigerian’s wage demands so he could move to England and prove his quality.
“I swear make them pay him the salary he want make he come England to prove them wrong,” the fan added.
@Rayder also described Osimhen as “way underrated”, while @Ryan10 argued that the Nigerian needs to leave the Turkish league to prove himself at a higher level.
Other supporters were equally critical. @CM claimed Osimhen was better than Isak and argued that only Haaland was superior to the Nigerian among Premier League strikers, while @Abass GH questioned the logic of ranking Liverpool players above Osimhen simply because they play for the club.
The backlash has therefore turned Fowler’s quick-fire assessment into a wider debate over Osimhen’s status among the elite strikers in world football.
