“I don’t think I can challenge him”- Osimhen speaks on possibility of breaking Yekini’s goal record

Osimhen has proven to be a reliable goal machine for club and country, and he has broken a lot of longstanding records

Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen is confident that he can surpass Rashidi Yekini’s goalscoring record, but he insists that he is not in a competition with the Nigeria legend, Soccernet reports.

Osimhen scored a hattrick for Nigeria in their 6-0 bashing of Sao Tome and Principe in their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers over the weekend. However, it was not a one-off as the Napoli man has been a consistent goal poacher for the Super Eagles.

His three-goal haul ensured that he now has 20 goals in 26 games for the Super Eagles, making him the fourth most prolific goalscorer in Super Eagles history.

The 24-year-old striker is only three goals shy of surpassing the records set by Yakubu Aiyegbeni and Segun Odegbami.

Yekini sits atop of the charts with 37 goals, but with Osimhen’s remarkable goalscoring ability, the farmer’s record does not seem far away. Osimhen also has Yekini’s record in sight, but he is not allowing the pressure get to him.

“I don’t think I can challenge the great, the legend Rashidi Yekini because he’s done so well for the country, for the Super Eagles, and to be able to try to follow in his footsteps is a huge one for me,” Osimhen told Pulse.

“But I think I have the ability to try to meet up with his numbers and to try to help the team as much as I can. I think I’m ready to go. I’m ready.

“I’ve got a lot of players that can also help and support me. So, for me, I’m ready to give my all for the team.

“If I surpass the goals record, I pass it; if I equal it, I equal it, but I really don’t think about that. I just want to get as many goals as I can score for the team, which is the most important thing.”

Osimhen is just 24, and he still has at least ten years of football in him. Barring loss of form or injuries, the Nigerian superstar could become the highest goalscorer in the history of the national team.