Osimhen has time to break Super Eagles’ goals record but Yekini’s legacy is unrivaled

After scoring 4 targets in opposition to Sao Tomé and Principe, the Napoli ahead rose to tenth on the scorers’ listing

Victor Osimhen solely made his debut 5 years in the past and he’s already aiming for the Tremendous Eagles targets document.

With 15 targets in 23 video games, the attacker has proven nice promise for the long run and barring any unexpected circumstances or the emergence of a brand new attacker which can threaten his place, he’s anticipated to interrupt the Tremendous Eagles’ targets document within the coming years.

That achievement, nevertheless, won’t come on a platter of gold. Osimhen is just not get getting carried away and he understands the enormity of the duty on his shoulders.

Greater than his private achievements, the crew means extra to the ahead and he all the time goals to win a recreation than rating targets. Nonetheless 22 targets off Yekini’s 37 targets document, Osimhen is poised to beat the mark and create a brand new one, however Yekini’s legacy is untouched.

Between 1983 and 1998, Yekini was the goalsfather of the Tremendous Eagles. His starvation, approach and high quality had been by no means questionable and Osimhen rightly acknowledges the load of that comparability.

He advised Omasports in an interview some years in the past that “the shoe is heavy, I shouldn’t lie however Nigerians haven’t seen something,”

From the time he made that assertion until now, he has scored in virtually each recreation he’s featured in for Nigeria.

To see a participant come near Yekini’s document affords hope for what’s achievable for Nigeria with many attackers doing their half prior to now. At completely different factors, attackers like Obafemi Martins and Ikechukwu Uche have been so sizzling that they had been touted to interrupt the document however they by no means got here shut.

Osimhen, nevertheless has an unimaginable benefit owing to his present age and talent. He’s but to hit his peak years and the long run affords glee.

Nigerian soccer legends have referred to as for warning, at the same time as they expressed their enjoyment of his development. Yekini was devastatingly gifted within the artwork of goalscoring and his scoring document stands at greater than a purpose each two video games, like Osimhen’s.

“Osimhen is an efficient striker with good physique and all that,” Garba Lawal, a winner of the Gold Medal on the Atlanta 96 Olympics, and three-time AFCON bronze medallist and one-tome silver medallist advised The Nations.

“He  could be very younger  and he has a variety of future with the Tremendous Eagles; however I feel it’s too early to match him with Rashidi  Yekini ( could his  soul relaxation in peace).”

A person whom Osimhen credit loads for his growth, a Tremendous Eagles legend, and former assistant coach of the nationwide crew, Emmanuel Amuneke finds solace in seeing younger gamers get nearer to surpassing the feats of former gamers.

He nevertheless reminded Nigerians that gamers like Yekini don’t come on a regular basis.

“It is going to be good that the  new era of gamers surpass the document set by the older era,”

“However we will’t  neglect what the older era did prior to now  and as you recognize, all gamers have their very own eras even at that  Yekini  will all the time stay particular.

“ Gamers like Yekini  all the time are available in a era and we will recall all that he did when it comes to his purpose scoring document each on the membership and nationwide crew ranges.

“However with a progressive thoughts comparable to mine, I’m actually pleased with the progress being made by the likes of Victor Osimhen and wherever Yekini is (could his light soul relaxation in peace), I do know he can be pleased with what Osimhen is doing as we speak, ” he mentioned.

Like Ahmed Musa, Joseph Yobo and Vincent Enyeama, a century caps is just not not possible for Osimhen and if he continues at his present stage (a mean of 0.65 targets per recreation), he’ll equal Yekini’s document by his 58th look. Spectacular expectations for a younger participant, however the legacy set by Yekini shouldn’t be mistaken, it’s for now, supreme and endlessly untainted.