A former member of the Green Eagles of Nigeria, Segun Odegbami, has tipped Super Eagles goal poacher Victor Osimhen to break the long-standing Rashidi Yekini international goal record.
Odegbami stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.
He applauded Osimhen for surpassing his long-standing 44-year-old record as the second-highest goal scorer for the senior national team.
The Galatasaray FC of Turkey point man broke Odegbami’s longstanding record to move into the position as the second-highest goal scorer for the senior national team.
Osimhen scored a brace in the 2-0 win over the Wasps of Rwanda by the super Eagles in the 2026 World Cup qualifier held in Kigali on Friday.
The lanky forward scored his 24th and 25th goals for the Eagles to occupy second place on Nigeria’s all-time leading scorers list.
The feat falls behind only the late Rashidi Yekini, who held the record with 37 goals.
The record that Osimhen now holds was formerly held by Odegbami, who during his time was known as `Mathematical’ Odegbami.
He said his record and that of legendary Yekini had stood for too long; hence, there was a need for young strikers to step up their games.
“Osimhen knows how to do what he does very well; he is a goal poacher who is reliable. You don’t see him exhibit too much finesse, skill and dribbling.
“He is more focused and not a showman; he’s always around the box, burying goals in the net, and because that is what he is cut out for, with me, he will go far.
“I hope he will end Yekini’s long reign because Yekini has been there for so long.
“I only played less than six years and kept the record for so long; that means we are not producing top strikers well enough.
“In fact I wasn’t a striker myself, only playing from the wings, so I think it is a good thing with Osimhen, and with his age, he has more years ahead of him to surpass Yekini.
“I am wishing Osimhen the best of luck,” he said.
NAN reports that for Osimhen to beat the long-standing record of Yekini, he will need to score 12 more goals of 37, a record set in 1998. (NAN)
