Following his impressive performance on Sunday, where he scored his 20th goal for Nigeria, Victor Osimhen, the Super Eagles striker, has ignited the hopes of Nigerians who believe he is on track to become the country’s all-time highest goal scorer.

Osimhen, at 24 years old, achieved this milestone by netting a hat-trick in the 6-0 victory over Sao Tome and Principe in Uyo.

With his latest feat, Osimhen now boasts 20 goals in 26 international appearances, placing him on a trajectory that could potentially see him match Rashidi Yekini’s longstanding record of 37 goals for Nigeria, needing 17 more goals to do so.

Osimhen has already surpassed the goal-scoring records of Obafemi Martins (18 goals) and Ikechukwu Uche (19 goals), and currently stands just behind Yakubu Aiyegbeni (21), Segun Odegbami (23), and Yekini (37).

Enthusiastic fans and analysts have hailed Osimhen’s remarkable achievement. One fan, Suraj Olawale, tweeted, “Victor Osimhen now has 20 goals in 26 games for Nigeria.

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With 0.77 goals per game, he surpasses other leading scorers for Nigeria, but the absolute goal count is the most important metric.

Moving to second place is already guaranteed, but can he break Yekini’s record to become Nigeria’s all-time highest goal scorer?”

Dez Footie, a UK-based football analyst, noted, “Osimhen came into this game 6th on the all-time Nigeria scorer rankings with (17) goals.

His hat-trick against São Tomé now means he’s overtaken Martins Ikechukwu, a legend in the making.”

Lagos-based OAP Chuma Nnoli expressed admiration for Osimhen’s achievements, saying, “A star that shines for club and country. Truly amazing. Greater things are ahead of him. Victor Osimhen is truly special.”

Another fan, @ramsyokay, added, “Breaking the goal-scoring record set by Yekini is a process, and you’ll achieve it.”