The newly minted Serie A champion still hasn’t fully realized what he was involved in when Napoli lifted the Scudetto for the first time in 33 years. Østigård, who has struggled with playing time, had the honor of rounding off the season with a donut and 2-0 victory over Sampdoria. Then – as always – with the handle, fasten it in with white tape. The white handles have rocked to become a signature for the 23-year-old. FAMOUS STYLE: Here, Leo Østigård has ended up in yet another aerial duel with Sampdoria players – and teammate Victor Osimhen. Photo: AFP It’s really cool – There’s not much of a gimmick behind it, actually, says Østigård and smiles. – It’s because I often jump quite a bit during a match – and am in duels. When you land then, I especially have a right ankle joint that can often get a little run. Then it’s okay to have tape there to tighten it up, says Østigård to news. – How close have you been to a wrist fracture…? – No, it hasn’t been that very (close). But I have a cool one as you see there, and he comes and goes, and he can be a bit of a pain. So that’s one of the things, says the centre-back while showing his right wrist. FOCUSED: Leo Skiri Østigård, Martin Ødegaard and Birger Meling during national team training at Ullevaal on Tuesday. Photo: NTB The 23-year-old, who himself has Fabio Cannavaro as his big role model, doesn’t leave anything in between when he gets involved in aerial duels. With its exceptionally good resilience, it can quickly become a long fall to the grass. – That’s how you come up with it when you’ve landed a lot. You notice that it takes a while. For me, it’s something I like, so I do it, explains Østigård. Storsal can be a door opener There were a total of 11 matches in all tournaments for Østigård this season. At the same time, the first choice – and Kim Min-jae in particular – has become hotly contested for even more cash-rich clubs. Kim has already been strongly linked to Manchester United, among others by The Guardian. CANNON SEASON: Here Kim Min-jae lifts the trophy after the last home game against Sampdoria on 4 June. Photo: Reuters Success coach Luciano Spalletti has already announced his resignation, without a replacement being ready. – Now I’m very calm, actually. In any case, I will meet there (in Naples). Spaletti is finished, and new players can come in and out. It’s just a matter of having a little ice in my stomach, and I’ve had a good feeling when I’ve first had the opportunity, says Østigård, who now hopes to take the extra step and secure a permanent place. Østigård believes that a possible sale by Kim could be a door opener. The South Korean was named the defensive player of the year in Serie A, and Østigård believes his teammate has been “perhaps the best defensive player in the world this year”. – Those who have played have been fantastic – and then you just have to pay tribute to them for that. So that has made it very difficult for me. If Kim with his caliber pulls, then of course an opportunity opens up. Then you just have to see and wait for how it turns out, says Østigård. First, two extremely important international matches await for Norway. The home games against Scotland (Saturday) and Cyprus (Tuesday) “must” be won for Norway to keep alive the hope of a direct place at the European Championships in 2024.
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