The second part of the movie “Gladiator” came out last year. It was a continuation of a story of how Rome needed a savior and how the ancient city had fallen into the hands of greedy and corrupt politicians who were only doing things to favor themselves.
The first part was where the action really was. Released in 2000, it remains right at the top of my favorite movies. Maximus Decimus Meridius, the gladiator, was a loyal Roman general who lost everything and forced into slavery, but did not give up until he got his revenge and the last laugh.
Victor James Osimhen: Jagun Jagun Moment
I wondered what was going through the minds of the players, especially Victor Osimhen, who received several nouns, including the title of this piece – Jagun Jagun. Ahead of a game that would have defined their careers, their hard work. A game that they needed to win by all means, and not just win, but win with a certain number of goals which they had not scored in over a year.
The game was a make-or-break for these crop players, both the ones invited and the ones not invited. The rod was going to fall on everyone. Fans were ready to go full blast on the players, Ghanaians were ready to banter, and South Africans were ready to drag us to the filth.
But the monster response for the team was incredible.
In particular, Victor Osimhen, who had not netted in the past games, struck a hat-trick when it mattered most. You can easily say, apart from the fact that they knew they needed to win, they also knew they had to shut the critics and name callers up, which is exactly what Maximus did in Gladiator.
THE GLADIATOR OF THE EAGLES
There were scenes where Maximus endured pain, sorrow (when his wife was killed), humiliation, and bowing to people he once led just to ensure he had the last laugh. This is similar to what the Super Eagles, especially Victor, endured before heading into this game. His own people turned on him, insulted and called him names, but guess what, he had the last laugh. He took it upon himself to be the hero.
And just like how Maximus was a hero even in death and received a royal guard treatment after his passing, Osimhen got that heroic celebration after his MOTM and hat-trick performance. The 30,0000 filled to capacity Godswill Akpabio stadium gave him a standing ovation as he walked off the pitch to be replaced by Tolu Arokodare.
Although at the point of his substitution, it was not a job done, the Super Eagles still needed a goal to seal their playoff spot, but around the world, for everyone who watched, they knew the man fought with every breath on the day. And received honors for it.
The Rebirth Of The Jagun Jagun
Nigerians might have thought they were insulting Victor after tagging him – Jagun Jagun, but he, in turn, showed how much of a gladiator he is to the world and led the team to victory on the battlefield. A general whose soldiers could rely upon, on a day when they had no clarity of how things would go. Just like Maximus, whose soldiers trusted his strategy to win the war in the very first scene of the first part of the Gladiator.
How much they relied on him is evident in the games he was part of in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. For the games he missed due to injuries, the Super Eagles found it difficult to win, but in the games he played, he contributed to goals and assists. The Galatasaray man finished with 6 goals and a couple of assists and could still add more to the numbers in the playoffs.
The streets might have casually named Victor Osimhen, but he has proven to everyone that, truly, he is the gladiator – Jagun Jagun of the Super Eagles.
