Nigeria stars Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen are firmly in contention for the top scorer award at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), as they trail Morocco’s Brahim Diaz in an increasingly competitive race.
With two Round of 16 fixtures still to be played, Diaz currently leads the goal scorers’ chart with four goals.
The Real Madrid forward reached the milestone following Morocco’s 1-0 victory over Tanzania, where he netted the decisive goal.
Lookman and Osimhen are part of a six-man chasing pack on three goals apiece.
Lookman has been one of the standout performers of the tournament, combining his three goals with an impressive four assists — the highest assist tally so far at AFCON 2025.
Osimhen, Nigeria’s talismanic striker, also has three goals to his name, along with one assist, following his brace in the Super Eagles’ emphatic 4-0 Round of 16 win over Mozambique.
Also on three goals are Diaz’s Morocco teammate Ayoub El Kaabi, Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez, Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, and Mali forward Lassine Sinayoko.
The race could yet intensify, with more players expected to join the conversation after Tuesday’s remaining Round of 16 encounters, as Algeria take on the Democratic Republic of Congo, while defending champions Côte d’Ivoire face Burkina Faso.
As the tournament enters its decisive stages, the battle for the AFCON 2025 Golden Boot promises to be as thrilling as the quest for continental glory.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
