IFFHS: Osimhen joins Haaland, Kane, Messi among top national team scorers of the decade

Victor Osimhen has been named among the world’s most prolific international goalscorers of the current decade by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), Soccernet.ng reports.

The Super Eagles striker made the podium for the “Top Scorers of National Teams – 3rd Decade of the 21st Century (2021–2030)” list, joining an elite group that includes Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Osimhen currently sits joint 14th in the rankings alongside Serbia’s Aleksandar Mitrović, with both forwards recording 27 international goals during the period under review.

It is a remarkable achievement that places the Nigerian star firmly among the most consistent scorers in world football.

A closer look at the breakdown of Osimhen’s tally shows steady progress across the decade. He opened the period with five goals in 2021, repeated the same return in both 2022 and 2023, and added three more in 2024. His standout year came in 2025, when he struck nine times for Nigeria.

Four of those goals arrived at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, where Osimhen played a central role in driving Nigeria to the semi-finals before the Super Eagles eventually claimed the bronze medal.

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Haaland leads as Osimhen closes in on Nigerian history

At the summit of the IFFHS rankings is Norway’s Erling Haaland, who has scored 49 international goals since 2021, ahead of England captain Harry Kane on 46 and Argentina legend Lionel Messi on 44.

Cristiano Ronaldo follows closely with 41 goals for Portugal, while France’s Kylian Mbappé has 39. Also featuring prominently are the Netherlands' Memphis Depay and Iran's Mehdi Taremi on 34 each, Belgium's Romelu Lukaku and Senegal's Sadio Mané on 32, and Son Heung-min on 28 for South Korea.

Beyond the decade statistics, Osimhen’s overall impact for Nigeria continues to grow.

Since making his Super Eagles debut in 2017, he has scored 35 goals in 51 appearances, establishing himself as the country’s second-highest goalscorer of all time.

Now Nigeria’s vice-captain, Osimhen has already overtaken greats such as Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Segun Odegbami, Obafemi Martins and Ikechukwu Uche. Only the legendary Rashidi Yekini remains ahead of him, by just two goals.

The 2023 African Footballer of the Year has so far collected two AFCON bronze medals and one silver, but the continental title continues to elude him.

With the 2027 tournament set to be hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, Osimhen will be eager to turn individual milestones into international glory for Nigeria.