Nigeria’s All-Time Top 10 Super Eagles Goal Scorers

The King. No Nigerian has ever come close to touching Rashidi Yekini’s aura as a pure goal scorer. The Kaduna-born striker was relentless: physical, technically sharp, and blessed with a striker’s instinct that bordered on supernatural. His 37 goals in 62 appearances remain the standard against which every Nigerian striker is measured. His iconic celebration after scoring Nigeria’s first-ever World Cup goal against Bulgaria in 1994, gripping the net and screaming into it, is one of the most replayed images in African football history. He was African Footballer of the Year in 1993. He played in Portugal with Vitória de Setúbal, in Greece, and across several European leagues. Nigeria never quite found its footing in the 1998 World Cup without him at his best, and when he retired, the record felt unbreakable. It still stands, but barely.

The record is within touching distance. Victor Osimhen, the Galatasaray striker and Nigeria’s most explosive forward in a generation, has roared up the all-time scoring chart to reach 35 goals, just two behind Yekini’s 37. He scored four goals at AFCON 2025, finishing joint top scorer at the semifinal stage before Nigeria were eliminated by Morocco on penalties. His scoring rate of roughly 0.76 goals per cap is significantly better than Yekini’s, meaning if he stays fit and committed to Nigeria, the record doesn’t just look beatable. It looks inevitable. He was also the top scorer at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup and has been consistently named among the world’s most prolific international goalscorers by IFFHS. The question is no longer whether Osimhen will break the record. It’s when.

They called him “The Mathematician” because of his analytical approach to the game, but there was nothing cold or calculated about the goals he scored. Segun Odegbami was a dazzling talent in an era of Nigerian football that doesn’t get enough credit. His 23 goals came during a six-year international career that included the 1978 AFCON title, where he was instrumental. A physical and technically accomplished forward, Odegbami remains one of the most celebrated Nigerian footballers of the pre-professional era. His influence extended beyond the pitch: he’s since become one of Nigeria’s most respected football voices and analysts. Osimhen surpassed his tally in March 2025.

“The Yak” was a bulldozer. Yakubu Aiyegbeni combined raw power with a surprisingly delicate touch in the penalty area, and his 21 goals across 57 appearances tell only part of his story. He remains unfairly remembered in some quarters for his missed penalty against South Korea in the 2010 World Cup, a match in which he actually scored. That goal, struck with his right foot after coming on as a substitute, is the kind of contribution that gets forgotten when the bigger moment doesn’t land. Yakubu played for Maccabi Haifa, Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, Everton, and Blackburn Rovers, among others. His career at club level was as distinguished as his international one.

Underrated. That’s the word most often attached to Ikechukwu Uche, and it’s earned. The forward, who played the bulk of his club career in Spain with Villarreal, was a nuisance to every defender who faced him: clever, mobile, and sharp in front of goal. His 19 international goals came in 46 appearances, a solid return for a player who often had to compete with bigger names for a starting berth. His two goals at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa were highlights in a tournament where Nigeria ultimately disappointed. Had he played more frequently under successive Nigerian coaches, his name might be higher on this list.

If you ever doubted that a 5ft 7in striker could dominate in African football, Obafemi Martins existed to correct that view. “Obagoal” was a blur: relentlessly quick, technically gifted, and athletic enough to score goals that left goalkeepers frozen. His famous backflip celebration became as iconic as the man himself. He scored 18 goals in 48 caps for Nigeria, including at multiple AFCON tournaments, and his club career took him from Inter Milan to Newcastle United, Wolfsburg, Birmingham City, Levante, Seattle Sounders, and Shanghai Shenhua. He’s one of the most entertaining Nigerian footballers of his generation, and his 18 international goals don’t fully capture his overall contribution to the Super Eagles.

Context matters with Sunday Oyarekhua. He scored 17 goals in just 28 appearances, a rate that compares favourably with almost everyone on this list. Playing in the 1970s, when Nigerian football was still developing its identity and international fixtures were far fewer, Oyarekhua had to make every appearance count. He did exactly that. A standout performer at the 1973 All-Africa Games, where Nigeria won gold, Oyarekhua was a clinical finisher in an era of physicality and direct football. He’s less well known among modern Nigerian fans, but his goals-per-game ratio earns him a permanent spot on this list.

Long before he became one of Nigeria’s most decorated coaches, Samson Siasia was one of the Super Eagles’ most dependable strikers. His 16 goals in 51 appearances spanned one of Nigeria’s golden eras, including the famous AFCON 1994 triumph and the USA ’94 World Cup. His goal against Argentina at that tournament, a moment of pure individual brilliance, remains a defining image of 1990s Nigerian football. Siasia later went on to coach Nigeria’s Olympic team to a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. His footballing intelligence was always as sharp as his finishing.

Few Nigerian strikers have been embraced quite the way Odion Ighalo was by the Super Eagles faithful. He wore his heart on his sleeve in every appearance and delivered when it mattered. His 16 goals in just 35 caps include a haul of five goals at the 2019 AFCON, where he was the tournament’s top scorer and won the Golden Boot. He came out of international retirement multiple times at Nigeria’s request, the last in 2022, because his goals were simply too valuable to lose. He had a stint at Manchester United on loan from Shanghai Shenhua in 2020, becoming the first Nigerian to play for the club in the Premier League era.

Nigeria’s most capped player, with 107 appearances for the Super Eagles, Ahmed Musa is in a unique category on this list. His goal ratio is the lowest of any player here (16 goals from 107 caps), but that statistic misrepresents his importance. Musa was primarily a winger: a creator, a runner, a high-energy disruptor who made Nigeria unpredictable going forward. His two goals against Argentina in the 2014 World Cup, one a spectacular individual effort, are among the most celebrated in Super Eagles history. He captained the side with distinction and led the side to the AFCON 2013 title. His 107 caps place him in rare company across the entire history of African football.