Super Eagles: 5 Nigerian players who never scored a goal at the AFCON

The Super Eagles’ AFCON history is littered with iconic goalscorers, from Rashidi Yekini and Victor Ikpeba to Jay-Jay Okocha, Ahmed Musa and Ademola Lookman.

However, scoring at the continental tournament has eluded some of the most decorated names ever to wear the Super Eagles shirt.

The following five Nigerian legends combined for more than 300 senior caps, five AFCON tournament squads apiece and several of the most memorable individual careers of the modern era, yet none of them scored a single goal at an AFCON. Afrik-Foot brings you the five.

5 Super Eagles legends who never scored at the AFCON

1. Nwankwo Kanu

The two-time African Footballer of the Year and 1996 Olympic Gold medallist is the most eye-catching name on this list.

Nwankwo Kanu represented Nigeria at six AFCON tournaments between 2000 and 2010, playing 27 matches. He registered four assists and produced some of the most elegant Super Eagles performances of the modern era, but he never found the back of the net.

The Arsenal and Portsmouth icon’s AFCON scoring drought stands in stark contrast to his 13 goals across his Nigeria career and his two Premier League title-winning seasons at Highbury.

For a forward who became one of African football’s most decorated individual award winners across the early 2000s, his AFCON tally remains one of the most surprising stats in Super Eagles history.

2. Daniel Amokachi

The “Bull of Africa” is the second name whose AFCON scoring blank will surprise most Nigerian supporters.

Daniel Amokachi was part of Nigeria’s AFCON 1994 title-winning squad and the 1996 Olympic Gold medal win in Atlanta, yet never scored at an AFCON tournament.

One of the highest-ranked Nigerian players in Everton history, the striker’s lack of AFCON goals is particularly striking given his two famous 1994 FIFA World Cup goals against Bulgaria and Greece, plus his cult-hero status for the Toffees.

Amokachi’s Super Eagles’ career produced 13 international goals in 46 games, but every one of them arrived in a fixture outside the AFCON tournament.

3. Sunday Oliseh

The former Juventus and Borussia Dortmund midfielder is the third name on this list, and his specific absence from the AFCON scorer records tells its own story.

Sunday Oliseh was a 1994 AFCON winner, played at AFCON 2000 and 2002, and captained the Super Eagles across the final years of his career.

Oliseh’s defensive midfield role meant goals were never his primary tactical currency, but his famous long-range strike against Spain at the 1998 FIFA World Cup confirms the finishing quality was there when the opportunity arose.

He scored four goals in his 63 caps for the Super Eagles, and produced three assists.

4. Victor Agali

The former Schalke 04 striker was one of the most prolific Nigerian forwards of the early 2000s at club level, particularly in the Bundesliga.

Victor Agali was part of the Super Eagles squad that played in AFCON 2002, and was part of the team that won a bronze medal in 2004, though he was notably dismissed from the team’s camp during the tournament alongside Celestine Babayaro and Yakubu Aiyegbeni for disciplinary reasons.

In an interview, the former OGC Nice striker revealed he was eventually called back, but he failed to honour it.

However, he played very few minutes, accruing just 121 minutes of AFCON football across his career, failing to make any of those appearances count.

5. Ikechukwu Uche

The final name is one of the most prolific La Liga strikers in Nigerian football history. Ikechukwu Uche scored over 40 La Liga goals across his Getafe, Zaragoza, Villarreal and Granada chapters.

However, Uche played at just two AFCON tournaments, 2008 and 2013, playing seven games and failing to score a goal.

His 19 Super Eagles goals across 46 caps included strikes at World Cup qualifiers, friendlies and continental qualifiers, but the AFCON tournament never joined that list before his international retirement in 2014.