Victor Osimhen Becomes Super Eagles Joint-Sixth Highest Goal Scorer

Victor Osimhen is now Super Eagles’ joint-sixth all-time goalscorer after scoring a brace for Nigeria on Sunday, June 18.

On the said day, the Super Eagles took on Sierra Leone in the 5th game of the 2023 AFCON qualifiers at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Liberia.

At the end of the thrilling encounter, the Super Eagles beat Leone Stars 3-2 to qualify for the 2023 AFCON with a game in hand.

During the game, Victor Osimhen scored two goals in the first half before Leicester City hitman Kelechi Iheanacho sealed the victory for Nigeria in the last seconds of the encounter.

Victor Osimhen’s brace helped him to equal the total number of goals scored by Nigerian football icon Samson Siasia.

The brace which was Osimhen’s 16th and 17th goal for the Super Eagles also helped him to overtake other veterans of the team like Odion Ighalo and Ahmed Musa, who both have 16 goals each for the national team.

The 24-year-old highly sought-after Nigerian striker still needs one more goal to break the record of 18 goals set by Obafemi Martins.

Beyond that, Victor Osimhen’s eyes are set on breaking the Super Eagles’ all-time highest goalscorer record set by late Rashidi Yekini in the 90s. The legendary striker scored 37 goals in 67 games for Nigeria before he retired in 1998. This means that Osimhen is just 20 goals away from equaling the national record.

But before Osimhen dares the age-long national record, he must surpass second-placed Segun Odegbami who scored 23 goals before he retired, and third-placed Yakubu Aiyegbeni who recorded 21 goals for the national team.

Osimhen has established himself as one of the top attackers in the world after helping Napoli in capturing the Scudetto last season. Hence, if he continues in his current form and remains fit ahead of the 2023 AFCON in Ivory Coast in January, he could at least surpass the second-all-time highest goalscorer, Odegbami, before the end of the tournament.

In an interview with Naijafootballers, Victor Osimhen Said, “I used to say before that it will be a big shoe to fill, but with the kind of quality that I possess, and the kind of determination that I’ve acquired in my career, I think I can actually break it or even surpass it.

“But it won’t be easy and that won’t make me the greatest Nigerian striker ever. For me, we still have the likes of Rashidi Yekini, Odion Ighalo, Obafemi Martins, and the rest of them, but now I believe it’s my time and it’s my turn and I think I can utilize it very well.”