UEFA Champions League: Nigeria’s Top Scorers After Victor Osimhen’s Goal Against Barcelona

UEFA Champions League: Nigeria’s Top Scorers After Victor Osimhen’s Goal Against Barcelona

Raphael Abiola
updated at February 22, 2024 at 6:55 AM
In this article:
Victor Osimhen logo
V. Osimhen
Napoli logoFNigeria logo
FC Barcelona logo
FC Barcelona
Spain
35
Napoli logo
Napoli
Italy
33
Nigeria logo
Nigeria
Nigeria
21
Super Eagles logo
Super Eagles
South Africa
Obafemi Martins logo
O. Martins
-FNigeria logo
J. Aghahowa
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Emmanuel Emenike logo
E. Emenike
KVC Westerlo logoFNigeria logo
Ahmed Musa logo
A. Musa
Sivasspor logoFNigeria logo
UEFA Champions League logo
UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League logo
UEFA UCL
Europe
  • Victor Osimhen is edging closer to being Nigeria’s leading scorer in UEFA Champions League history
  • The Napoli star is among elite company in his country thanks to his efforts in the European elite tier
  • The Super Eagles striker scored against Barcelona in their second-round tie on Wednesday evening

The UEFA Champions League is rated as one of the best football competitions in the world, with the tournament only behind the FIFA World Cup in the pecking order.

Despite being a European club competition, Nigerians have also made their mark in the tournament by etching their names in the history books.

Victor Osimhen reacts during the UEFA Champions League 2023/24 round of 16 first leg match between SSC Napoli and FC Barcelona. Photo: Jose Breton.
Victor Osimhen reacts during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first-leg match between SSC Napoli and FC Barcelona. Photo: Jose Breton.
Source: Getty Images

Victor Osimhen is currently the biggest player from the West African nation playing his trade in Europe and showcased why he is so highly rated on Wednesday night.

His return to Napoli from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations was marked with a goal against Barcelona, as he earned his team a 1-1 draw in the UCL Round of 16 first-leg at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

Following the former Lille star's goal against the Catalans, Sports Brief takes a look at Nigeria's top goal-scorers in the competition's history.

Nigeria's top scorers in UCL history

7. Ahmed Musa – 6 Goals

The former Leicester City forward made his mark in the competition, scoring six goals during his time with CSKA Moscow.

6. Ayegbeni Yakubu – 7 Goals

Aiyegbeni had a good spell with Maccabi Haifa and scored a number of goals in the Champions League before leaving the Israeli club for England in 2003.

5. Victor Ikpeba – 7 Goals

The 1997 African Footballer of the Year had a spell with Borussia Dortmund and Monaco in the UCL and found the back of the net seven times while representing both clubs.

4. Emmanuel Emenike – 7 Goals

The former West Ham United striker starred for Fenerbahce, Olympiacos, and Spartak Moscow in the competition and scored seven goals.

3. Julius Aghahowa – 7 Goals

Just like Ikpeba and Emenike, Aghahowa also scored seven goals in the UEFA Champions League while playing for Ukrainian side, Shakhtar Donetsk.

2. Victor Osimhen – 9 Goals

The reigning African Footballer of the Year is second on the list with his goal against Barcelona on Wednesday evening (February 21), taking him to nine goals in the competition's history.

1. Obafemi Martins – 10 Goals

The former Newcastle striker is still top on the list with ten goals from his time at Inter Milan. He also represented Wolfsburg and Rubin Kazan before retiring from football.

PSG keen on signing Osimhen

Sports Brief earlier reported that Paris Saint-Germain are prepared to meet Napoli's release clause for Osimhen, as the Italian giants search for Kylian Mbappe's replacement.

The Super Eagles star has been on the radar of several prominent European teams recently due to his performances for the Serie A champions and the Nigerian national team.

Authors
Raphael Abiola photo
Raphael Abiola
Raphael Abiola is a Nigerian Sports Journalist with over five years of experience. He obtained a B.Tech degree in Computer Science from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, in 2015.