Victor Osimhen, the Nigerian striker, made headlines on Sunday as he equaled Samson Siasia’s goal record for the Super Eagles. Osimhen scored two goals against Sierra Leone during the 2023 AFCON qualifier, securing a 3-2 victory for the team and advancing them to the knockout stages of the tournament. Kelechi Iheanacho’s late-minute tap-in sealed the ticket to qualification.
With his two goals, Osimhen now has a total of 17 goals for the national team, surpassing the previous records held by Odion Ighalo and Ahmed Musa, who both had 16 goals. He joins former Eagles coach Siasia in sixth position on the all-time Nigeria goalscorers list.
Osimhen’s remarkable performance comes as no surprise, as he has established himself as one of the world’s finest strikers. His contributions were instrumental in Napoli’s Scudetto victory last season. He is now just one goal away from equaling Obafemi Martins’ record of 18 goals.
Rashidi Yekini holds the top position on the goalscoring chart with an impressive 37 goals from 67 games, 20 more than Osimhen’s current tally. Fans have expressed their belief that Osimhen can surpass Yekini’s record if he continues his prolific scoring form for the national team.
Last June, Osimhen made headlines by scoring four goals in Nigeria’s 10-0 victory against Sao Tome and Principe in the AFCON qualifying series. His goalscoring heroics followed his winner against Sierra Leone in a 2-1 win on matchday one of the qualifiers.
Having recently become the highest-scoring African in Serie A history, breaking George Weah’s record with 50 goals, Osimhen now has his sights set on the national record. Since Rashidi Yekini’s retirement in 1998, no Eagles striker has come close to matching his goal tally. Segun Odegbami, a 1980 AFCON winner, is in second place with 23 goals, followed by former Everton striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni with 21 goals.
Speaking about his ambitions, Osimhen expressed confidence in his ability to break or even surpass Yekini’s record. He acknowledged the greatness of Nigerian strikers like Yekini, Ighalo, and Martins but believes it’s his time to shine and make the most of his opportunity to contribute to the team’s success.
