Nigeria, Jan. 8 -- In football folklore, there is a phrase reserved for talents so gifted yet so volatile that their brilliance and self-destruction seem to live in the same body: enfant terrible.

Nigeria knows that story far too well.

Across generations, Nigerian football has produced artists of rare ability whose careers burned brightly but briefly, undone not by lack of talent, but by temperament, indiscipline, and poor judgement at critical moments. It is a cautionary tale written in painful chapters, and one the country cannot afford to repeat with its most valuable footballing asset today: Victor Osimhen.

This is not an attack. It is a warning wrapped in history.

When a Genius loses control: Lessons from the past

To understand ...