As the 34th edition of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) slated to take place in Cote d’Ivoire beckons, the spotlight is beamed on standing records at the tournament once again.
Like some nationals of other countries at the finals, some Super Eagles players have created fascinating records in past championships. The Super Eagles are aiming to win their fourth title this year, though, it is looking like a miracle would be needed to make that happen.
Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen will be the arrowhead of Nigeria’s ambition in terms of scoring goals, coming on the back of his recognition as the best footballer on the continent last year by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
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The Guardian Sports, hereby examines records the Osimhen could equal, break or create in Ivory Coast as he prepares to make his second appearance at the competition.
Equal Odegbami, Yekini, Okocha, Ighalo, Emenike, Aghahowa’s topscorer records at AFCON
The Napoli talismanic attacker can become the seventh Nigerian to finish as either topscorer or joint topscorer at the 2023 AFCON.
Osimhen remains one of the most lethal strikers in world football. The records he created and broke in 2023 at club level are astonishing and prove that doing similar thing (s) in Ivory Coast is highly possible.
He scored 31 goals for Napoli last season, with 26 of those in their run-up to winning the Scudetto for the first time in 33 years and making history as the first African in the 125-year history of the Italian topflight to win the Golden Boot.
With the Eagles chasing another title this year, he could equal the record of Segun Odegbami who emerged as joint top-scorer with Opoku Afriyie of Ghana and Philip Omondi of Uganda with three goals at the 1978 AFCON.
Also in 1980, Odegbami again emerged as joint top-scorer with Morocco’s Khalid Labied, scoring three goals at that year’s AFCON hosted by Nigeria.
In 1994, the late Rashidi Yekini won the top-scorer award in Tunisia ’94 with five goals as he helped Nigeria to the title.
In 2002, Julius Aghahowa finished as joint top-scorer with Cameroon duo of Patrick Mboma and Salomon Olembe on three goals.
Two years after, midfield maestro, Austin Jay Jay Okocha scored four goals to be tied at the top of the goalscorer chart on four goals with Mboma, Frederic Kanoute, Youssef Mokhtari and Francileudo Santos of Tunisia.
In 2013, Nigeria won their third title in South Africa and Emmanuel Emenike scored four goals to finish with Ghana’s Mubarak Wakaso as joint top-scorer.
In 2019, Nigeria won bronze as Odion Ighalo finished with five goals to emerge as the top scorer.
Become highest scoring Nigerian in a single AFCON edition
No Nigerian has been able to surpass the five-goal threshold at the biggest football fiesta on the continent.
Regarded as the best striker Nigeria has ever had, Yekini who remains the topscorer for Nigeria with 37 goals in 62 appearances could only score five times at the 1994 AFCON in Tunisia where Nigeria were undoutedly the most superior team.
Former Manchester United attacker, Odion Ighalo repeated Yekini’s feat 25 years later in the 2019 edition in Egypt where he also scored five goals.
Osimhen who recently committed his future to Napoli after signing a bumper deal is capable of scoring at least six goals in Cote d’Ivoire if Nigeria go far in the competition.
Become 4th Nigerian to win Most Valuable Player Award
In case there is any of the 24 teams ignorant of the deadly threats Osimhen carries, CAF has put all the 23 teams on notice by placing the Nigerian international at the top of its 10 players to watch out for at Africa’s mundial.
Osimhen who won the best player in Italian Serie A last season and finished eighth in the 2023 Ballon d’Or will hope to win the Most Valuable Player at the 2023 AFCON.
That will help him to become the fourth Nigerian to win the individual recognition after former Green Eagles defender, Christian Chukwu achieved the feat at the 1980 edition won by Nigeria.
Rashidi Yekini was also named the MVP in Tunisia 1994 also won by Nigeria and Jay Jay Okocha in Tunisia 2004 when Nigeria won bronze.
Break Odegbami, Aiyegbeni’s overall goal record for Nigeria
Osimhen has an incredible goalscoring record for the Super Eagles. Since he made his debut in November 2018 against Uganda in an international friendly, he has become a goal-machine for Nigeria.
He has relegated records of past strikers in the national team in a very short time. Out of nowhere, he has become the fourth topscorer of all time for the Eagles with 20 goals.
Osimhen is seriously threatening the records of Yakubu Aiyegbeni and Segun Odegbami who are in third and second on the list respectively.
The 24-year-old finished as the top scorer during the 2023 AFCON qualifiers with 10 goals, beating closest challenger, Senegal’s Sadio Mane despite not playing all the matches.
The former Lille attacker enters the beast mode when he is in the green and white colours of the national team. Osimhen is just one goal shy of equalling Aiyegbeni’s goal record and three from that of Odegbami for Nigeria.
The 2023 AFCON presents a tasty platform for him to eclipse those two and move closer to Yekini’s all-time goal-record for the three-time African champions.
First Nigerian to score a hat-trick at AFCON
Osimhen is always in the mood to score goals in the national team. A number of Nigerians including Osimhen himself have scored a hat-trick in an international game for the Super Eagles.
In fact, he scored four goals against Sao Tome and Principe during the 2023 AFCON qualifier in Morocco last year.
However, No Nigerian has scored three goals in a single game at the AFCON. Osimhen could become the first Nigerian to achieve such milestone in Cote d’Ivoire.
With the 24-year-old hungry for his first goal at the competition after playing second fiddle to Odion Ighalo at the 2019 AFCON and missing the 2021 edition due to a severe facial injury he sustained in a Serie A clash for Napoli against Inter Milan, he would want to attain the special landmark in Ivory Coast.
