Record or Not, Yekini Remains Nigeria’s Greatest – Osimhen

Posted by Thandiubani on Wed 20th Nov, 2024 - tori.ng

Osimhen equalled Segun Odegbami as Nigeria’s joint second-highest goalscorer with 23 goals after netting in the 1-1 draw against Benin Republic last Thursday.

Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen has stated that late Super Eagles legend Rashidi Yekini is the greatest Nigerian striker ever.

He stated this despite being on course to break the former Olympiakos forward’s goalscoring record.

Osimhen, who recently equalled Segun Odegbami as Nigeria’s joint second-highest goalscorer with 23 goals after netting in the 1-1 draw against Benin Republic last Thursday, still trails Yekini’s record of 37 goals in 62 appearances for the Eagles.

The 25-year-old, in a video recently posted on social media, insisted that surpassing Yekini’s record would not diminish the late striker’s legacy.

“No, no. I really don’t care about this. I just want to do my job and try to win games, score goals, and provide a lot of assists for my team,” Osimhen said.

“Then if I equal it, I equal it, if I surpass it, I surpass it, but that doesn’t take away the fact that Rashidi Yekini is the greatest striker the Super Eagles have ever had. This record stood for a very, very long time and it still stands, so I think we should give him his flowers and also celebrate him.”

Yekini, who wrote his name in Nigerian football folklore by scoring the country’s first-ever FIFA World Cup goal, dominated African football during his prime, claiming the top scorer award at the Africa Cup of Nations in consecutive tournaments – 1992 and 1994.

The late striker’s impressive tally of 37 goals has stood for nearly three decades, highlighting the magnitude of his achievement and the challenge facing Osimhen in his pursuit of the record.

Osimhen’s journey to potentially breaking the record has seen him emerge as one of Africa’s most lethal strikers, with the majority of his 23 goals coming in AFCON qualification matches, demonstrating his importance to the national team’s success.

The on-loan Napoli man had the opportunity to reduce the gap to Yekini’s record on Monday but could not find the net after coming on as a 77th-minute substitute in Nigeria’s shock 2-1 defeat to Rwanda in Uyo.

With potentially more games ahead in both the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, and the 2025 AFCON in Morocco, and with time on the young striker’s side, Osimhen has the opportunity to close in on Yekini’s record.