Can Victor Osimhen Break Rashidi Yekini’s Goalscoring Record.
Records are meant to be broken and so one day Rashidi Yekini’s Nigerian record for most international goals (37 goal) will be breached. One man currently tipped to reach this height is Victor Osimhen.
The Napoli forward zoomed into the top 10 list with four goals vs Sao Tome and Principe to take his tally to 15 goals . 22 goals and 9 places short of Late Rashidi Yekini’s record.
Stats that show Can Victor Osimhen break Rashidi Yekini’s record.
1. AGE
At 23 , Victor Osimhen has age on his side. If he plays for the next ten years, he will break Rashidi Yekini’s record with a minimum of 3 goals per year.
For a prolific striker like Victor Osimhen this is a meagre target . His attitude, physique , ambition , and form shows no sign he will slow down soon.
2. PENALTIES
New manager Jose Paseiro this week revealed the Napoli forward is the designated Penalty taker for the Super Eagles a privilege he passed on to Emmanuel Dennis for his first international goal vs Sao Tome and Principe.
Victor Osimhen will have the opportunity to increase his goal tally from penalty kicks . With the introduction of technological innovations like communication gadgets, VAR , etc more penalty kicks will be awarded as Referees enjoy the opportunity to review incidents which previously would have passed on.
3. IDENTICAL GOALSCORING AVERAGE WITH RASHIDI YEKINI
Having scored 15 goals in 22 games, Victor Osimhen’s goalscoring average of 0.68 is identical with Rashidi Yekini’s average for 37 goals in 58 international appearances.
No other player in the top twenty list boasts of an average this high . Late Rashidi Yekini who passed away in 2012 had a 14 years long international career (1984-1998) meaning Victor Osimhen will hit same heights if he also emulates Yekini’s longevity on the international scene.
Other players in the top ten list;
Current Super Eagles skipper Ahmed Musa is 9th on the list with 16 goals from 107 games ( Most international appearance record) . Odion Ighalo is 8th with 16 goals from 37 games , Samson Siasia is 7th on the list. His international career from 1984-1998 had produced 16 goals in 51 appearances.
In the 70’s and early 80’s, Sunday Oyarekua held the record for most international goals for Nigeria with his 17 goals in 28 international appearances between 1971-1976 (6th). Obafemi Martins is 5th with 18 goals one short of 4th placed Ikechukwu Uche.
Yakubu Aiyegbeni is 3rd on the list after scoring 21 goals in 57 appearances with Segun Odegbami the man whose 23 goal record Rashidi Yekini broke to set his own sitting in second place .
Aside Victor Osimhen, Kelechi Ihenacho is another player who is tipped with a chance of breaking the record for most international goals . The Leicester City forward has scored 12 times in 43 appearances since making his international bow in 2015.
Can Victor Osimhen break Rashidi Yekini’s goalscoring record ?
Let’s have your thoughts on this..
