Speaking on the Libero TV YouTube channel, according to Habersarikirmizi, Çakar praised Osimhen’s quality, insisting that the striker possesses the ability to excel at the highest level of European football despite his underwhelming display against the Spanish giants.
“Osimhen, you know, he could play for any team in the world, he’d be the top scorer in the Premier League,” Çakar said.
However, the former referee questioned whether Galatasaray had done enough to help the Nigerian international make an impact during the encounter.
“I didn’t see anything like that in this match. I admit, he’s just recovered from injury, but what kind of performance did the team give him that he should play like that?” he added.
Osimhen featured for the entire 90 minutes at Rams Park on Tuesday but struggled to threaten Barcelona’s defence. The striker repeatedly found himself caught offside as the visitors maintained a high defensive line that restricted his opportunities to get behind their backline.
His performance attracted criticism from some supporters and football pundits following Galatasaray’s heavy home loss. Çakar, however, maintained that the forward should not bear the blame alone, pointing to the limited service he received from his teammates.
The Nigerian striker had enjoyed an impressive start to the season before suffering an injury setback, recording six goals and two assists in four league appearances for Galatasaray.
He also provided an assist in Galatasaray’s 3-1 victory over Kasimpasa after returning from injury, raising expectations that he would carry his attacking influence into the Champions League fixture.
However, Osimhen was unable to replicate that form against Barcelona, as Galatasaray struggled to find a way through the visitors’ defence and eventually suffered a disappointing defeat.
Çakar’s comments have shifted attention towards the collective performance of the Turkish side, suggesting that Osimhen’s difficulties against Barcelona reflected not only his recent lack of match fitness but also the team’s inability to create the opportunities needed to maximise his attacking strengths.