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Ernest Victor
Guest
Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen has expressed his deep admiration for the late Rashidi Yekini, widely regarded as Nigeria’s greatest striker of all time.
This recognition comes despite Osimhen being on track to potentially break Yekini’s longstanding goalscoring record for the Super Eagles.
At just 25 years old, Osimhen has made significant strides in his international career, having recently equalled former Nigerian forward Segun Odegbami to become the joint second-highest goalscorer for the national team with an impressive tally of 23 goals.
This achievement came during a tense 1-1 draw against the Benin Republic last Thursday. However, he still finds himself trailing Yekini’s record of 37 goals in 62 appearances for the Super Eagles, a benchmark that has remained unbroken for nearly three decades.
In a heartfelt video interview shared on social media, Osimhen emphasized that surpassing Yekini’s record would not in any way diminish the late striker’s legacy.
“No, no. I don’t care about this”, he said. “I just want to do my job and try to win games, score goals, and provide a lot of assists for my team.
“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 earned a revered place in Nigerian football history by scoring the country’s first-ever goal at a FIFA World Cup, marking a monumental moment for Nigerian football.
Beyond this iconic achievement, he dominated the landscape of African football during his peak years, clinching the top scorer title at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in successive tournaments in 1992 and 1994, solidifying his status as a football legend across the continent.
Looking ahead, Osimhen has the potential to further his pursuit of Yekini’s record with more matches on the horizon, particularly in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and the upcoming 2025 AFCON in Morocco.
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