Top Nigerian Club Scorer Ranking
With the 2022/23 season halfway through and the action in full swing after the World Cup break, a host of Nigerian footballers are making their mark in Europe, in top of the scoring charts for their club, writes< /em> EBENEZER BAJELA
Victor Osimhen (Napoli)
Osimhen looks head and shoulders above the continent's other goalscorers at the moment and added his 10th league goal of the season on Sunday as Napoli beat Sampdoria 2-0 away exterior.
It was a precious triumph for the Partenopei - who lost their first league game of the season at Internazionale on Wednesday - as they immediately got their title challenge back on track ahead of the visit of Juventus on Friday.
Osimhen's latest strike keeps him well ahead of the Serie A goalscoring charts - two ahead of Lautaro Martinez, Marko Arnautovic and M'Bala Nzola - while cementing his place as the top scorer in Napoli with 12 goals in all competitions.
Closest to the Nigerian is Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who has six league goals and eight in all competitions.
The former Lille man's impressive goalscoring form also saw him equal a record set by the legendary George Weah in the Italian top flight.
Osimhen and Weah are the only Africans to hit double the goals in three separate Serie A campaigns, the latter having done so between 1995 and 1998.
Nigerian still far from Liberian president's overall goal in Italy's top flight; Weah has scored 46 goals in five seasons with AC Milan, the most by an African player in the league, while Osimhen currently has 34 since signing for Napoli from Lille in 2020.
Paul Onuachu (Genk)
After a sloppy start to the 2022/23 season, Onuachu returned to goalscoring form and the Nigerian marked his 100th Belgian Pro League appearance with a fine strike as he latched onto the center by Joseph Paintsil to send a first-time past Simon Mignolet, in the goal for Bruges, on Sunday to prove that he remains one of the best strikers in Europe.
It was the striker's 14th goal in 15 games this season and he has scored 71 goals in 100 games with six assists since joining the club three years ago from Denmark .
The 28-year-old is Genk's top scorer and has scored exactly twice the number of goals scored by the club's second top scorer, Bryan Heynen.
Chuba Akpom (Middlesbrough)
Akpom's meteoric rise this season has stunned many, as the Arsenal academy graduate has continued to score with reckless abandon.
The 27-year-old has flourished under Michael Carrick this term.
Since the former Manchester United midfielder took over at Riverside on October 24, Akpom has scored 10 goals in 11 games in all competitions, all inside the box .
Boro won seven of those matches and thus firmly established himself in the championship promotion race.
Overall, the Super Eagles prospect has scored 15 goals this season for the Championship side, making him the club's top scorer, nine more than Matt Crooks, who is the club's second top scorer.
Such form has seen Akpom linked with a return to the Premier League, but the Teesside club have since moved quickly to take up the option of extending Akpom's contract until the summer of 2024 .
Akpom is on the rise and it will take something special to replace him as the league's in-form leader.
Odion Ighalo (Al Hilal)
After finishing the 2021/22 season as Saudi Arabia's top scorer, with 24 goals for Al-Shabab and Al Hilal, Ighalo is enjoying another outstanding season with Al Hilal in the Professional League from Saudi Arabia with his goalscoring form improving despite his age.
This season, the 33-year-old striker has already scored eight goals in 12 games for Al Hilal, putting him as the club's top scorer ahead of Moussa Marega, who has only managed half of the number of goals scored by Ighalo.
The Nigerian is one goal behind Brazilian Al-Nassr striker Anderson Talisca for the league's top scorer award.
Folarin Balogun (Reims)
The Arsenal Bologna striker has enjoyed a productive loan spell at Reims in Ligue 1 this season, scoring 10 goals and providing two assists in 16 top-flight appearances.
The 21-year-old joined Arsenal's academy in 2011 but struggled to break into the Gunners first team and only made 10 senior appearances, scoring two goals and by enrolling one more in the process.
However, his loan spell was nothing short of magical...
With the 2022/23 season halfway through and the action in full swing after the World Cup break, a host of Nigerian footballers are making their mark in Europe, in top of the scoring charts for their club, writes< /em> EBENEZER BAJELA
Victor Osimhen (Napoli)
Osimhen looks head and shoulders above the continent's other goalscorers at the moment and added his 10th league goal of the season on Sunday as Napoli beat Sampdoria 2-0 away exterior.
It was a precious triumph for the Partenopei - who lost their first league game of the season at Internazionale on Wednesday - as they immediately got their title challenge back on track ahead of the visit of Juventus on Friday.
Osimhen's latest strike keeps him well ahead of the Serie A goalscoring charts - two ahead of Lautaro Martinez, Marko Arnautovic and M'Bala Nzola - while cementing his place as the top scorer in Napoli with 12 goals in all competitions.
Closest to the Nigerian is Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who has six league goals and eight in all competitions.
The former Lille man's impressive goalscoring form also saw him equal a record set by the legendary George Weah in the Italian top flight.
Osimhen and Weah are the only Africans to hit double the goals in three separate Serie A campaigns, the latter having done so between 1995 and 1998.
Nigerian still far from Liberian president's overall goal in Italy's top flight; Weah has scored 46 goals in five seasons with AC Milan, the most by an African player in the league, while Osimhen currently has 34 since signing for Napoli from Lille in 2020.
Paul Onuachu (Genk)
After a sloppy start to the 2022/23 season, Onuachu returned to goalscoring form and the Nigerian marked his 100th Belgian Pro League appearance with a fine strike as he latched onto the center by Joseph Paintsil to send a first-time past Simon Mignolet, in the goal for Bruges, on Sunday to prove that he remains one of the best strikers in Europe.
It was the striker's 14th goal in 15 games this season and he has scored 71 goals in 100 games with six assists since joining the club three years ago from Denmark .
The 28-year-old is Genk's top scorer and has scored exactly twice the number of goals scored by the club's second top scorer, Bryan Heynen.
Chuba Akpom (Middlesbrough)
Akpom's meteoric rise this season has stunned many, as the Arsenal academy graduate has continued to score with reckless abandon.
The 27-year-old has flourished under Michael Carrick this term.
Since the former Manchester United midfielder took over at Riverside on October 24, Akpom has scored 10 goals in 11 games in all competitions, all inside the box .
Boro won seven of those matches and thus firmly established himself in the championship promotion race.
Overall, the Super Eagles prospect has scored 15 goals this season for the Championship side, making him the club's top scorer, nine more than Matt Crooks, who is the club's second top scorer.
Such form has seen Akpom linked with a return to the Premier League, but the Teesside club have since moved quickly to take up the option of extending Akpom's contract until the summer of 2024 .
Akpom is on the rise and it will take something special to replace him as the league's in-form leader.
Odion Ighalo (Al Hilal)
After finishing the 2021/22 season as Saudi Arabia's top scorer, with 24 goals for Al-Shabab and Al Hilal, Ighalo is enjoying another outstanding season with Al Hilal in the Professional League from Saudi Arabia with his goalscoring form improving despite his age.
This season, the 33-year-old striker has already scored eight goals in 12 games for Al Hilal, putting him as the club's top scorer ahead of Moussa Marega, who has only managed half of the number of goals scored by Ighalo.
The Nigerian is one goal behind Brazilian Al-Nassr striker Anderson Talisca for the league's top scorer award.
Folarin Balogun (Reims)
The Arsenal Bologna striker has enjoyed a productive loan spell at Reims in Ligue 1 this season, scoring 10 goals and providing two assists in 16 top-flight appearances.
The 21-year-old joined Arsenal's academy in 2011 but struggled to break into the Gunners first team and only made 10 senior appearances, scoring two goals and by enrolling one more in the process.
However, his loan spell was nothing short of magical...
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