Nigeria Football Team: Victor Osimhen Edges Closer to Super Eagles All-Time Goal Record
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Osimhen Closing In On Rashidi Yekini’s Record
After missing Nigeria’s first four 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Victor Osimhen resumed international duty with the Super Eagles for two crucial matches last month and marked his return in some style. The Galatasaray striker bagged a first-half brace against Rwanda at the Amahoro Stadium on March 21 and slotted away the team’s only goal against Zimbabwe in Uyo four days later.
Against Amavubi, Osimhen struck in just 11 minutes, converting a lofty free kick from reigning African Footballer of the Year Ademola Lookman before doubling his tally with a sensational solo effort, bearing down on Fiarcre Ntwari before deftly chipping the Rwanda shot-stopper moments ahead of the interval.
The following week, the 26-year-old was at it again and broke the deadlock against the Warriors with a powerful diving header in the 73rd minute. Unfortunately, it was not enough to secure victory for the Super Eagles, as Tawanda Chirewa found a shock equaliser in stoppage time at the end of the match.
With those goals, Nigeria’s number-nine took his tally for the national team to 26, surpassing Segun Odegbami, with whom he was level on 23. Osimhen’s next milestone will be to chase down the Super Eagles’ all-time goal-scoring record, which belongs to the legendary Rashidi Yekini on 37 goals. Here’s a look at the current top 10 goal-scorers for Nigeria:
- Rashidi Yekini – 37
- Victor Osimhen – 26
- Segun Odegbami - 23
- Yakubu Aiyegbeni – 21
- Ikechukwu Uche – 19
- Obafemi Martins – 18
- Sunday Oyarekhu – 17
- Samson Siasia – 16
- Odion Jude Ighalo – 16
- Ahmed Musa – 16
Osimhen will have an opportunity to add to his goals tally for the Super Eagles in June when they face Russia in a friendly before resuming their World Cup qualifiers in September, and you can follow his progress using our football livescore tool.
Galatasaray Move: The Change Osimhen Needed
Osimhen had an incredible AFCON 2023 qualifying campaign, finishing as the top-scorer with 10 goals, five more than any other player during the competition. However, he came under criticism for his underwhelming performance at the AFCON main tournament, where he managed just one goal in seven matches.
Many Nigerian football fans felt that issues at club level with Napoli affected his performances, and there is a case to be made in that regard, as the 26-year-old looks like a player transformed since joining Turkish Super Lig champions Galatasaray on loan for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.
Since arriving in Istanbul, Nigeria’s talisman is the current top-scorer in the Super Lig with 20 goals and four assists in just 23 league games, two clear of Istanbul Basaksehir attacker Krzysztof Piatek. He also netted six goals and an assist in the Europa League before Gala were beaten in the playoff knockouts by AZ Alkmaar.
Osimhen is the favourite to win the Super Lig Golden Boot according to the latest football betting odds, and you can take a look at our football predictions for our experts' insights and thoughts on his chances.
