Victor Osimhen, the golden sensation in football is poised to surpass Rashidi Yekini as the all-time leading goal scorer for the Super Eagles.
However, we mustn’t overlook the revered football legends who have made their mark on the team. Nigeria renowned for its football talent boasts a history of outstanding players who have excelled on the global stage.
Now let’s delve into the roster of the ten goal scorers in Super Eagles history. Alongside Osimhen and Yekini we find figures like Ahmed Musa, whose consistent scoring prowess has been invaluable to the team.
We also can’t forget Jay Jay Okocha, an icon of football whose skill and creativity have left an indelible mark. And let us not overlook Yakubu Aiyegbeni either; his incredible ability to find the back of the net was consistently demonstrated throughout his career.
These are a few examples of football stars who have etched their names into football history. It serves as a testament to their talent. With unwavering dedication that they have achieved remarkable goal-scoring feats, for the Super Eagles.
Super Eagles all-time highest goalscorers
10. Ahmed Musa
Current Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa is Nigerian football royalty, not only is he the most capped Super Eagles player in Nigerian football, he is also tenth on the list of Super Eagles all-time highest goalscorers.
The 30-year-old winger has scored 16 goals in 107 games since debuting for Nigeria in 2010 and he still has time to add to that tally.
9. Odion Ighalo
Al Hilal striker Odion Ighalo is another one of three players tied on 16 goals for the Super Eagles but he has done so in 70 fewer games than Ahmed Musa.
Ighalo is among the Super Eagles all-time highest goalscorers having scored 16 goals in 37 appearances for the Super Eagles since debuting in 2015. This is an impressive achievement that may yet be improved upon as he has not officially hung up his boots with the Nigerian football team.
8. Samson Siasia
Super Eagles legend Samson Siasia would go on to be more prominent for his national team involvement as a coach multiple times but he had a great playing career as well.
The striker found the net 16 times in 51 appearances for the Super Eagles between 1984 and 1999 when he hung up his boots, making him joint seventh on the Top 10 Super Eagles all-time highest goalscorers list.
7. Sunday Oyarekhua
Little-known Sunday Oyarekhua bagged 17 goals in 28 games for the Nigeria national football team when they were still called the “Green Eagles” between 1971 and 1976.
However, his colleagues, ex-teammates and the few fans who watched him play have done their best to communicate just how good the late ‘Sunny’ was.
Oyarekhua retired from the Nigerian national team in 1976 as the Super Eagles all-time highest goalscorer until Segun Odegbami took over from where he stopped.
6. Obafemi Martins
Obafemi Martins is one the very best strikers to have represented the Super Eagles of Nigeria and the numbers prove it to be so as he is number five among the Super Eagles all-time highest goalscorers.
The former Inter Milan striker fondly called ‘Obagoal’ scored 18 goals in 48 appearances for the Super Eagles from 2004 to 2015. His pace, mobility and athleticism were the defining features of his career.
5. Ikechukwu Uche
Ikechukwu Uche spent eight years in the Super Eagles setup, establishing himself as a clutch performer and reliable player for the Nigerian national team and retired as number four among the Super Eagles all-time highest goalscorers.
The diminutive football striker scored 19 goals in 46 games between 2007 and 2015 for the Super Eagles after which he called it quits internationally.
4. Victor Osimhen
Victor Osimhen is the current superstar of the Super Eagles team and is many people’s favourite to usurp the late great Rashidi Yekini as the all-time top scorer for Nigeria.
Osimhen already has 20 goals in 27 games for Nigeria, most recently bagging a hat-trick in a 6-0 thrashing of Sao Tome and Principe on September 10, 2023.
He is currently 17 goals behind Yekini but the 24-year-old still has his entire career ahead of him and has covered such ground in little time, it only makes sense that he will be moving up this list very soon.
3. Yakubu Aiyegbeni
Unfortunately, more people remember that open goal miss against South Korea at the 2010 World Cup more than the fact that Yakubu Aiyegbeni is the third all-time top scorer in Super Eagles history.
A certified goal machine and ice-cold finisher (except for that one time) Yakubu scored 21 goals in 57 games for Nigeria between 2000 and 2012.
2. Segun Odegbami
Viewed by many as the first true superstar of Nigerian football, Segun Odegbami was just as prolific as he was fun to watch.
The ‘Mathematical’ Odegbami scored 23 goals in 46 games for the Nigerian national team within a shorter period of time compared to the rest of the top ten. His national team career lasted from 1976 to 1982.
1. Rashidi Yekini
The identity of number one is the worst kept secret, even infants are aware of the late great Rashidi Yekini and his prowess for the Super Eagles.
Yekini is by far and away Nigeria’s all-time leading top scorer with 37 goals, at least 14 more than anyone else so far and many believe his record will remain unbroken as he sits top of the list of Super Eagles all-time highest goalscorers.
Rashidi Yekini scored 37 goals in 58 games at an impressive ratio of 0.63 goals per game. This is the bar which every Nigerian footballer looks up to since Yekini retired from the Nigerian national team in 1998 having debuted in 1984.
