Victor Osimhen leads: Top 5 highest-scoring Nigerians in UEFA Champions League history

Victor Osimhen, among several stars, has left his mark on Europe’s biggest club competition, particularly in the UEFA Champions League, Afrik Foot reports.

From the golden generation of the 1990s to the modern era, Nigerian players have delivered memorable moments on the grandest stage of club football.

At the top of that list stands Victor Osimhen, whose prolific scoring record has placed him ahead of every Nigerian player to feature in the competition.

Here are the top five highest-scoring Nigerian players in Champions League history

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1. Victor Osimhen — 16 goals

Clubs: Lille OSC, SSC Napoli, Galatasaray S.K.

Victor Osimhen leads the chart as Nigeria’s highest goalscorer in the UEFA Champions League.

The striker first featured in the competition with Lille before establishing himself as one of Europe’s most prolific forwards during his time at Napoli.

8 – Victor Osimhen has been involved in eight goals in the @ChampionsLeague this season (7G 1A), the most ever by a Nigerian player in a single UCL campaign.

🇳🇬 Most Goal Involvements (single season):

8 – Victor Osimhen (25/26)
6 – Ademola Lookman (24/25)
6 – Tijani Babangida… pic.twitter.com/r2Ti3HCGS8

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 10, 2026

He played a key role in Napoli’s run to the quarter-finals in the 2022/23 campaign.

Osimhen has continued to score in the tournament with Galatasaray, bringing his tally to 16 goals in 26 Champions League matches.

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2. Obafemi Martins — 9 goals

Clubs: Inter Milan, VfL Wolfsburg, FC Rubin Kazan

Obafemi Martins enjoyed his most productive Champions League spell at Inter Milan, where he broke into the first team as a teenager.

The Nigerian forward scored nine goals in the competition, most of them during his time with the Italian giants.

Martins later featured in the Champions League for Wolfsburg and Rubin Kazan, finishing with nine goals in 33 appearances.

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3. Victor Ikpeba — 7 goals

Club: AS Monaco FC

Known as the “Prince of Monaco”, Victor Ikpeba played a key role during Monaco’s impressive European run in the late 1990s.

All seven of his Champions League goals came with the French club in 19 appearances, including crucial strikes during their journey to the semi-finals in the 1997/98 season.

His performances in Europe also helped him win the 1997 African Footballer of the Year award, which made him one of Nigeria’s finest forwards of that era.

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4. Ademola Lookman — 7 goals

Clubs: RB Leipzig, Atalanta BC, Atlético Madrid

Ademola Lookman has steadily built his Champions League record across spells in Germany, Italy, and Spain.

After making his debut in the competition with RB Leipzig, the Nigerian forward scored the majority of his goals with Atalanta before adding to his tally following his move to Atlético Madrid.

Lookman has recorded seven goals in 18 Champions League appearances.

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5. Nwankwo Kanu — 5 goals

Clubs: AFC Ajax, Arsenal F.C.

Nwankwo Kanu is one of Nigeria’s most experienced Champions League players, having featured in the competition across multiple seasons with Ajax and Arsenal.

He scored five goals in 60 appearances, with 16 matches for Ajax (1 goal) and 44 matches for Arsenal (4 goals).

Kanu was part of the Ajax squad that lifted the Champions League trophy in 1995, while his strikes for Arsenal often came in crucial group-stage and quarter-final encounters, underlining his influence in Europe’s elite club competition.

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Note: Statistics are based on official Champions League records excluding qualifying rounds.