Because the thirty fourth version of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), which can happen in Ivory Coast, beckons, the highlight is as soon as once more on standing information throughout the match.
Like another international locations' nationals on the finals, some Tremendous Eagles gamers have set fascinating information in earlier championships. The Tremendous Eagles are aiming to win their fourth title this 12 months, but it surely seems to be like it would take a miracle to make that occur.
Tremendous Eagles ahead Victor Osimhen would be the arrowhead of Nigeria's goal-scoring ambitions, because of his recognition because the continent's finest footballer by the Confederation of African Soccer (CAF) final 12 months.
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The Guardian Sports activities hereby examines the information Osimhen might equal, break or create in Ivory Coast as he prepares for his second look within the competitors.
Equal Odegbami, Yekini, Okocha, Ighalo, Emenike, Aghahowa's high scorer information at AFCON
The talismanic Napoli striker might change into the seventh Nigerian to complete as high scorer or co-top scorer on the 2023 AFCON.
Osimhen stays some of the deadly attackers in world soccer. The information he created and broke at membership stage in 2023 are astonishing and show that doing comparable issues in Ivory Coast is fully potential.
Final season he scored 31 targets for Napoli, 26 of them within the run-up to profitable the Scudetto for the primary time in 33 years and making historical past as the primary African within the 125-year historical past of the Italian high flight to win the Golden Boot .
With the Eagles chasing one other title this 12 months, he might equal the file of Segun Odeggbami, who emerged as joint high scorer with three targets on the 1978 AFCON together with Ghana's Opoku Afriyie and Uganda's Philip Omondi.
Additionally in 1980, Odeggbami once more emerged as joint high scorer with Moroccan Khalid Labied, scoring three targets at that 12 months's AFCON hosted by Nigeria.
In 1994, the late Rashidi Yekini received the highest scorer award in Tunisia '94 with 5 targets as he helped Nigeria win the title.
In 2002, Julius Aghahowa completed as joint high scorer with Cameroonian duo Patrick Mboma and Salomon Olembe with three targets.
Two years later, midfield maestro Austin Jay Jay Okocha scored 4 targets to complete high of the goalscoring chart on 4 targets with Tunisia's Mboma, Frederic Kanoute, Youssef Mokhtari and Francileudo Santos.
In 2013, Nigeria received their third title in South Africa and Emmanuel Emenike scored 4 targets to complete with Ghana's Mubarak Wakaso as joint high scorer.
In 2019, Nigeria received bronze as Odion Ighalo completed with 5 targets to change into the highest scorer.
Turn into the very best scoring Nigerian in a single AFCON version
No Nigerian has managed to cross the five-goal threshold within the continent's largest soccer competition.
Thought-about the very best striker Nigeria has ever had, Yekini, who stays Nigeria's high scorer with 37 targets in 62 appearances, might solely rating 5 instances on the 1994 AFCON in Tunisia, the place Nigeria have been undisputedly probably the most superior workforce.
Former Manchester United striker Odion Ighalo repeated Yekini's feat 25 years later throughout the 2019 version in Egypt, the place he additionally scored 5 targets.
Osimhen, who just lately dedicated his future to Napoli after signing a top-flight deal, can rating a minimum of six targets in Ivory Coast if Nigeria progress far within the competitors.
Turn into the 4th Nigerian to win the Most Invaluable Participant Award
Simply in case any of the 24 groups are unaware of the lethal threats Osimhen carries, CAF has put all 23 groups on discover by inserting the Nigerian worldwide among the many high 10 gamers to look out for within the African soccer competitors.
Osimhen, who turned the very best participant within the Italian Serie A final season and completed eighth within the 2023 Ballon d'Or, hopes to change into the Most Invaluable Participant on the 2023 AFCON.
That may assist him change into the fourth Nigerian to win the person recognition after former Inexperienced Eagles defender Christian Chukwu achieved the feat within the 1980 version received by Nigeria.
Rashidi Yekini was additionally named MVP in Tunisia (1994), additionally received by Nigeria and Jay Jay Okocha in Tunisia (2004), when Nigeria received bronze.
Breaking Odegbeni, Aiyegbeni's general goalscoring file for Nigeria
Osimhen has an unimaginable goalscoring file for the Tremendous Eagles. Since making his debut in opposition to Uganda in a global pleasant in November 2018, he has change into a goalscoring machine for Nigeria.
He has demoted information of former strikers into the nationwide workforce in a really brief time. Out of nowhere, he has change into the Eagles' fourth all-time main scorer with twenty targets.
Osimhen poses a severe menace to the information of Yakubu Aiyegbeni and Segun Odegbeni, who’re third and second on the checklist respectively.
The 24-year-old completed as high scorer on the 2023 AFCON qualifiers with 10 targets, beating the closest challenger, Senegal's Sadio Mane, regardless of not enjoying all of the matches.
The previous Lille striker goes into beast mode when he wears the inexperienced and white colours of the nationwide workforce. Osimhen is only one purpose away from equaling Aiyegbeni's targets file and three of Odegbeni's for Nigeria.
The 2023 AFCON will present him with a tantalizing platform to eclipse these two and transfer nearer to Yekini's all-time goalscoring file for the three-time African champions.
First Nigerian to attain a hat-trick at AFCON
Osimhen is all the time within the temper to attain targets within the nationwide workforce. Various Nigerians, together with Osimhen himself, have scored a hat-trick in a global match for the Tremendous Eagles.
Final 12 months, he scored 4 targets in opposition to Sao Tome and Principe within the 2023 AFCON qualifier in Morocco.
Nonetheless, no Nigerian has scored three targets in a single match on the AFCON. Osimhen might change into the primary Nigerian to realize such a milestone in Ivory Coast.
With the 24-year-old hungry for his first purpose within the competitors after enjoying second fiddle to Odion Ighalo on the 2019 AFCON and lacking the 2021 version on account of a severe facial damage suffered in a Serie A match for Napoli in opposition to Inter Milan, he want to attain the particular monument in Ivory Coast.
