Becoming Nigeria's all-time highest goal scorer is a dream for most Nigerian strikers, albeit one that has been a difficult target to achieve for most.
The Super Eagles boast a storied history of skillful and dangerous forwards, along with many other talented players who have graced the pitch locally and internationally over the years.
This article delves into unveiling who Nigeria's all-time highest goal scorer is, and also going further to list out the top 10 Super Eagles top scorers in history.
Without much further ado, let's get down to business.
Who is Nigeria's all-time highest goal scorer?
The Super Eagles have had their fair share of talented marksmen who changed the course of the game in their active years.
While the younger generation have the talent to take over the top scoring charts in Nigeria's international football, they owe their desire to be better (in some parts) to the legendary players who set the pace and inspired them to dream bigger.
The most iconic footballers of the national team may not have scored many goals like their counterparts elsewhere in Africa and around the world, but the place of Rashidi Yekini as Nigeria's all-time highest goal scorer has lasted since he retired in 1998.
The prolific former Shooting Stars forward scored 37 goals in 58 matches for Nigeria at an impressive rate of 0.64 goals per game to become the Super Eagles top scorer in past and present history.
Yekini set the bar so high that as of 2024, his goal-scoring record has lasted for a staggering 26 years. This is the number that current Nigerian strikers look forward to match.
Top 10 Super Eagles top scorers in history
Being a Super Eagle is a dream for many young and aspiring footballers who have watched most of the iconic legends of Nigerian football doing their thing many years ago.
In the attacking department, some players have distinguished themselves to be goal-getters, etching their names on the list of Nigeria all time top scorers.
With this in mind, here is the list of the top 10 Super Eagles top scorers in history:
1. Rashidi Yekini – 37 goals
The leading Super Eagles top scorer in history is Rashidi Yekini with 37 goals to his name.
Yekini of blessed memory is the only player to have scored more than 30 times for the senior national team. He was part of the Super Eagles from 1984 to 1998.
He helped Nigeria to win the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), scoring five goals in that tournament. So crucial were Yekini's goals that he set the winning template by opening the scoring against Zambia in the final.
Before AFCON 1994, Yekini was named African Footballer of the Year in 1993 and was inducted into the Nigerian Sports Hall of Fame for his contribution and achievement to the growth and glory of Nigerian football.
2. Segun Odegbami – 23 goals
Retired Nigeria international Segun Odegbami was well known during his time with the Super Eagles team. He ranks second in the all-time highest goal-scorers list of all time and was fondly called ‘Mathematical' due to his knack for scoring goals.
Odegbami was capped 47 times in the national team and scored 23 goals, a big number to achieve internationally for any footballer during his days.
He began his football career in the domestic scene with Shooting Stars FC of Ibadan, and spent his entire professional career with them.
While at the club, Odegbami won the 1976 African Cup Winners’ Cup and was an integral member of Nigeria's golden generation that set the pace for international recognition.
He starred in Otto Gloria's 1980 Africa Cup of Nations triumphant squad, the side that won Nigeria's first AFCON title.
Odegbami retired from football in 1984 after featuring 47 times and scoring 23 goals for the national team.
As of 2024, he is still alive and well, seeing his name etched in the annals of Nigeria's football history.
3. Victor Osimhen – 23 goals
Victor Osimhen etched his name alongside Nigerian football legend Segun Odegbami by netting his 23rd international goal in Nigeria's 1-1 draw with Benin Republic in their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying Group D clash. The match, held at Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan, saw Osimhen’s crucial header secure a vital point for the Super Eagles.
The Galatasaray striker, on loan from Napoli, rose above Benin’s defenders in the 81st minute to nod home and bring Nigeria level. His goal tally, achieved in just 38 caps since his debut in 2017, matches Odegbami's record of 23 goals in 47 appearances from 1976 to 1981.
Osimhen’s international scoring journey began during the 2023 AFCON qualifiers, with his first goal coming against Sierra Leone. The striker grabbed headlines with a hat-trick in Nigeria's 10-0 demolition of São Tomé and Príncipe, his maiden hat-trick for the Super Eagles. He repeated the feat in the return fixture in Uyo, bagging another hat-trick in a 6-0 rout of São Tomé and Príncipe.
Finishing the 2023 qualifiers as the tournament's top scorer with 10 goals, Osimhen’s exploits underline his significance to Nigeria's attack. Now, with Odegbami's milestone equaled, the 25-year-old’s next target will undoubtedly be to break Rahid Yekini’s record of 37 goals and cement his legacy as one of Nigeria’s all-time greats.
4. Yakubu Ayegbeni – 21 goals
Yakubu Ayegbeni was Nigeria's third top scorer for years before Osimhen drew level in January 2024.
He began his professional football career with Nigerian side Julius Berger in 1997 before securing a move to Maccabi Haifa (Israel) in 1998.
Yakubu went on to play for several other clubs in England, including the likes of Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, Everton, Leicester City and Blackburn Rovers.
Internationally, Yakubu represented Nigeria's Super Eagles on 58 occasions, and found the back of the net 21 times.
‘The Yak’ was part of the Lars Lagerback Nigeria squad that competed at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the tournament that ended his Super Eagles career, because why? Wait for it…
The player who missed an open net from a defence-splitting pass from Ayila Yusuf against South Korea was none other than Yakubu Ayegbeni. The Eagles crashed out in the group stage and many Nigerians haven't forgiven Ayegbeni ever since because of that miss.
5. Ikechukwu Uche – 19 goals
Ikechukwu Uche (MON) is a former Nigerian footballer who played as a striker for the Super Eagles.
Uche spent most of his football career in Spain. He played for a couple of top teams like Getafe, Real Zaragoza, Villarreal, and Malaga.
Internationally, he was particularly successful in scoring during qualifying rounds of the Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA World Cup.
The 2013 AFCON winner bagged five goals in the World Cup qualifiers, and seven in AFCON qualifiers and retired with 19 goals in 46 games for Nigeria to clinch fifth in the all-time goal scorers list.
6. Obafemi Martins – 18 goals
Obafemi ‘Obagoal’ Martins made his debut for Nigeria in 2004 at the age of 19 in 2004 where he scored a goal in the tri-nations Unity Cup tournament in London.
Martins was a part of the Nigeria squad that finished third at the 2006 African Cup of Nations. He netted twice in the competition, both coming against Senegal in the group phase.
Obagoal was an instant sensation at Newcastle shortly after leaving Inter Milan in 2006, and he represented Nigeria in several tournaments including the 2006 FIFA World Cup where the Eagles crashed out in the Round of 16.
After a successful career in Europe, Martins retired in 2021 with 18 goals for his country in 42 matches.
7. Sunday Oyarekhua – 17 goals
Sunday Oyarekhua of blessed memory is one of the legendary Nigerian players that wasn't so popular. We're certain that most Nigerian fans haven't heard about him. Nonetheless, he was a prolific goal-scorer during his active years for Nigeria.
Discovered by the national team's coaches while playing for the Police F.C. in Lagos, he scored on his debut, a friendly match against the Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) in 1971.
He was the leading top scorer during the 1973 All-Africa Games which Nigeria won, and he played for Nigeria at the 1976 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Ethiopia.
Oyarekhua was most famous for scoring the winning goal against Brazil in a friendly match in 1974, a game dubbed as “The Match of the Century”.
Between 1971 and 1976, he scored 17 goals in 28 appearances. Oyarekhua passed away in 2021.
8. Ahmed Musa – 16 goals
Coming in eighth-place in our top 10 Super Eagles highest goal scorers in history is Ahmed Musa.
It's worth mentioning that Musa is the most capped Super Eagles player in history with 107 matches under his belt.
He burst into the international scene as a striker for Kano Pillars in 2010 when Lars Lagerback invited the Jos-born forward to the Super Eagles FIFA World Cup squad of 2010.
Since his debut for the Super Eagles, Musa went on to win an AFCON title in 2013 with Nigeria.
Not only that, he etched his name in the history of Nigeria's national football team when he became the first Nigerian to score more than once in a FIFA World Cup match after scoring twice against Argentina in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Musa also became the first Nigerian to score in two FIFA World Cup competitions after scoring twice against Iceland in the group stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
As of 2024, the former CSKA Moscow player has 16 goals for Nigeria in 108 appearances, becoming the most capped player since November 2021.
9. Odion Ighalo – 16 goals
Al-Wehda forward Odion Ighalo is one of three Super Eagles players tied on 16 goals for Nigeria. But he has done so in 71 fewer matches than Ahmed Musa.
Following strong performances for Watford in England, then-Nigeria interim coach Daniel Amokachi invited Ighalo to the national team in 2015 and made his debut in 1-0 friendly home defeat to Uganda.
Ighalo netted seven goals in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign, the most by any player at the time, to help Nigeria qualify for the finals in Egypt later that year.
He was included in Gernot Rohr's 2019 AFCON squad squad, taking part in all the matches and finding the net on five occasions to become the edition's top scorer.
At the end of the competition, Ighalo announced his retirement from international football to be among the Super Eagles all-time highest goal scorers with 16 goals in 37 appearances.
10. Samson Siasia – 16 goals
Samson Siasia is popular as a former Super Eagles coach. However, he had a successful playing career for the national team and makes the top 10 list of Super Eagles all-time top scorers.
The Lagos-born former footballer found the back of the net 16 times in 51 appearances for the Super Eagles. A period that lasted between 1984 to 1999 before his retirement.
Siasia was part of the team that participated in the 1994 FIFA World Cup, and won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations. He was also a member of the Nigeria team that won bronze at the 1992 AFCON in Senegal. The former Super Eagles coach participated in the national team over a period of 15 years, and is recognized as one of the all time leading top scorers of the national team.
Nigerian strikers in Europe
Nigeria has become a home to an ever-emerging crop of forwards right now in world football.
In recent times, Super Eagles strikers are making their mark across Europe’s top leagues with what looks like the birth of a new golden generation for the national team.
Since the class of Atlanta 1996, Nigeria have struggled to replicate the performances the national team was known for. But as time heals all wounds, it seems the good-old-days are right around the corner.
With the country so blessed attack-wise and in thirst for glory especially after missing out on the 2023 AFCON title, there's a palpable feeling that with a good manager for the national team, the country can return to its former status as a giant of African football.
There’s a number of Nigerian names who started the 2023/24 season in strong form, raising optimism that the African nation can challenge favourably in the next few years.
These Nigerians have taken their football to new heights in Europe this season with the likes of Victor Boniface already securing the Bundesliga title with Bayer Leverkusen.
The likes of Victor Osimhen, Terem Moffi, Cyril Dessers, Victor Boniface, and Ademola Lookman have all bagged an incredible number of goals this season.
With the way things have gone for Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League this season, there's a high chance that a Nigerian striker will win a European trophy when it's all said and done this campaign.
Frequently Asked Questions about Nigeria's goal scorers
Who is Nigeria's all-time highest goal scorer? The all-time highest goal scorer for Nigeria is Rashidi Yekini with 37 goals.
Who is the Nigerian striker with the most AFCON goals? Rashidi Yekini is Nigeria's striker with the most AFCON goals. He has 13 to his name.
Who ranks second in Super Eagles top scorers list? Segun Odegbami holds second spot in Super Eagles top scorers list with 23 goals under his belt.
Which Super Eagles player recorded the highest number of goals in an AFCON qualifying campaign? Victor Osimhen scored 10 goals during the 2023 AFCON qualifiers to become the highest-scoring player for Nigeria in a single AFCON qualifying campaign.
Which Super Eagles striker has scored more goals in 2023/24 season? The most-scoring Super Eagles striker in the 2023/24 campaign is Victor Boniface with 18 goals at the time of writing.
