₦airaland Forum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFQ06Wu1y3o?si=m7aAQ8aBCy4SMUi3


Throwback to Augustine JJ Okocha's first goal for Nigeria. It was only his second game for Nigeria and first in front of the home crowd.

Nigeria vs Algeria, 1994 WC qualifiers. Algeria took an early lead and Okocha, with his magnificent free kick equalized for Nigeria moments later. Yekini scored the second and third(another incredible goal)

Nigeria won 4-1.

GanagiBitrus:
No easy pickings for any Country.

With our 6th position in FIFA CAF ranking, we'll end up in same group with any of Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt or hosts Cote d'Ivoire

With 6th position, we will be among the seeded teams.

DABIGATRAN:
When was his prime?

1988 to early 1994

charlesemeka85:
Antwerp have named Alhassan Yusuf and Chidera Ejuke in their UEFA Champions League squad, while Nigerian youngster Victor Udoh has missed out.

This guy wey too dey dribble
But una hype this guy, here, da year sha

Sportilitica:
Can we for once dead this player comparism for once and respect what each player has contributed in their time.

That is what makes this thread thick bro

kris:
Bros you are disrespecting Osimhen by constantly spelling his name wrong! Abeg take time to learn the correct spelling. Thank you.

he is spelling it the way those oyinbo commentators dey call am Oshimen

ChrisKels:
Where was he when George Weah won it in 1995? He was in his prime then, and couldn't even smell a nomination.

By 1995, Yekini had already passed his prime. Besides, there was no major international tournament that year and what counted more was club performance. George Weah, despite his World Player of the Year, never tasted the World Cup.

Amedino99:
apart from the afcon in Egypt, most afcon tourneys we play are within that January period and countries still organize a friendly or two.

Those ones will be more of kick-abouts, not serious friendlies.
That aside, playing friendlies before the AFCON is really nothing. What matters more is for things to work-out for the team when the tournament starts.

AFCON is a kind of tournament where pre-tournament form doesn't count for much. AFCON pedigree has mostly counted more.
As I have always maintained that there are traditional AFCON Teams that will always do well irrespective of the form they came to the tournament with. Pre-AFCON friendlies no dey do anything. More important is to keep your players free from injuries.

Marjoribanks:
Too routine for a team that won just one AFCON which was 1980? lol! The same CIV they almost lost to in the 1994 semis? lol!

AFCON is every two years; and Nigeria, just like many other African teams, place more importance on WCQ than the AFCON. I remember back in 1990 AFCON when Cameroon and Egypt sent their 'B' teams to the AFCON because they were keeping their 'A' Teams for the world cup

Mujtahida:
For now Rashidi pass Osimhen. Can he surpass Rashidi? Yes and we are eagerly rooting for him to do so.

That's it.

Marjoribanks:
Why dem Yekini no beat Ghana for AFCON 1992 Semis? Imagine Ghana not having Partey and Kudus in midfiled during that match. I hate when people are economical with the truth. Ndidi and Iwobi unavailability cost us that game coupled with Bonke and Onyeka's injury during the game. Yet we didn't lose the game. No team will get a draw from us with that much injured midfielders!

Then the spirit of the AFCON was different from the WCQ.
The WCQ was the big thing then. AFCON was just too routine.
Enroute 1994 WC we had the 1990 and 1992 AFCON Champions in our group (Algeria and CIV) and na 4:1 we dashed both teams. Yekini was on rampage at the National stadium in Surulere (then called the slaughter house )

charlesemeka85:
CIV good? Mk we catch Lesotho fess 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Atleast for uyo first leg dem go chop like 4 and osimhen go score atleast 2 goals

CIV wey their striker no get surname 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Bros, you see this Super eagles team eh....hmmm. Make them no break your heart o. If CAR and Guinea-Bissau could do it.
But we don face some nightmarish games recently sha when you also add that Ghana game in Abuja. During Yekini time, na like 4:1 we for win that kind of Ghana game

Kog45:
Thank you, recently we lost to CAR and Guinea Bissau at home.We need all Matches,no to over confidence.

And both games Osimhen played. Yekini go easily bag Hatrick against such teams

Kog45:
I don’t think so cuz he was on the bench at Atlanta 96…the team list of Afcon 96 comprised of US 94 and Atlanta 96 team with Yekini,Siasia,Rufai,Eguavoen,Iroha,Adepoju,

Yekini, Siaone and Adepoju didn't play at the '96 Olympics.

Nigeria played mostly a 4-4-2 formation with Ikpeba as the CF and Kanu as SS.

Adepoju was not a CF, Siasia was already on a decline in 1996 same with Yekini.

charlesemeka85:
Lesotho and Rwanda will bear the brunt 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

For your mind

Did you watch the Ivory Coast vs Lesotho game over the weekend?

charlesemeka85:
yes he will

World Cup qualifiers osi baba go get like 10 goals, afcon next year him go get like 4-5 goals depending on how far the team go progress

10+5=15, 15+20 = 35, how many goals come remain to equal the record?🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Average of 2 goals per game , wey Principe and Saotome no dey

charlesemeka85:
if he featured at the 96 and 98 afcon na him for lead the attack self cus he was blazing hot then

Exactly, Ikpeba was really hot between 1995 and 98. He was Africa's hottest striker then. Playing for AS Monaco. He could have led the Super Eagles frontline and Nigeria could have won at least one of those two AFCONs (1996 and 98) considering the quality of players we had then.

charlesemeka85:
e no concern us the main thing be say osimhen go break the record before 2026 World Cup 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Hmmm 18 goals from the 2026 WCQ, 2024 AFCON, 2026 AFCON Qualifiers and 2026 AFCON. Yes, doable but has to remain in excellent form all through.

AndSunGorilla:
Sir Victor Ikpeba didn't achieve much with Nigeria but he did.a.lot personally and he's still a legend, Osimhen has raised the profile of Nigeria right now whether we like it or not.

Victor Ikpeba was an Olympic Gold medalist. Couldn't feature at the 1996 and 1998 AFCONs due to Abacha's decision and corresponding CAF ban. 2000 AFCON could have been his time but he wrongly adjudged himself to have missed a penalty when he scored. He was 1997 APOTY. Despite Nigeria's absence from those two consecutive AFCONs and being on the bench for Yekini in 1994 I will say he is among Nigeria's successful players.

Kog45:
Sincerely,37 goals damn too poor for all time eagles scorer.Imagine Odegbami that retired in 1981 as a winger still held second highest all time scorer.

You also need to consider the number of international matches and friendlies played back then. AFCON mostly had only 8 teams.
Most of the WC qualifying games were home and away knock out matches. 2026 WC qualifiers has 6 teams per group and 10 matches, 2024 AFCON will have 24 team. Both tournaments would opportunities for strikers to record plenty of goals.

Mujtahida:
If he hadn't missed the last Afcon and if we had qualified for Qatar 2022 WC by now he should have hit 30 goals or at least 25 goals.

If Yekini had not missed the 1986 AFCON and Nigeria qualified for the 1990 WC and played in the 1996 AFCON maybe he could have hit at least 50 goals

charlesemeka85:
don’t worry he will do that before he retires

Na wetin we want be that.
To unseat Yekini as Nigeria's King of goals no be beans

charlesemeka85:
osimhen won the u17

Sorry sir 🏃🏿🏃🏿🏃🏿🏃🏿🏃🏿🏃🏿🏃🏿🏃🏿 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Just like so many other Ex-U17 players that have gone into limbo

He should win us at least an AFCON Trophy

Kog45:
Oga Charles,it seems you are not getting this discourse…the man icon4s is one of the leading Osimehn baba here and he threw a question “can we compare Osimehn with Yekini now and from individual’s contributions so far,nothing like disrespecting Osimehn.

Fact Osimehn will prefer to win Afcon and lead Nigeria to WC than missing out and win all time Nigeria highest goal scorer.Whether we like it or not Osimehn will soon be all time GOAT of Nigeria football cuz @24 he has the time.

You get it. Just a comparison. No one is disrespecting any of the two players.

AndSunGorilla:
Yes I watched.Baba Yekini and I absolutely respect him for what he achieved at the time he was.playing, by the time the world.took notice of him, age wasn't on his side and after the 94 WC he had an almost one year injury absence when he joined Gijon in Spain and like you said everything went downhill from there.because of age, injury and also Abacha's nonsense with the 96 AFCON. That said, individually I daresay Osimhen is our most successful and ever globally renowned top striker. He won the league in Italy, won the highest scorer in a top league like the Serie A and World over there is no argument that he is among the current world's best strikers and even player. With that, even if Osimhen doesn't win anything in Nigeria, his name is already etched in the history books.

Win everything you want at club level. If you don't achieve anything with the National team, your name remains a champion in the history books in Europe and your club.

Marjoribanks:
At 22 years (1986) where was Yekini! At 22 years Oshimen was already one of the best strikers in the world (AFON and World Cup qualifiers highest goal scorer) but missed the AFCON through injuries. At 20 years, Oshimen already had AFCON bronze.

At 24 years, he has achieved what Yekini could only dreamed of! At this stage of Yekini's life he can't lace Oshimen's shoe. And what Oshimen will achieve in the future will only be a pipe dream for Yekini.

Nigeria did not feature at the 1986 AFCON. At 20 Yekini was the leading striker in Shooting stars and featured at the 1984 AFCON. There were just a handful of African players playing in Europe as at then. Note that AFCONs of the 80s and 1990 had only 8 teams and hence less matches compared to now. 1992 AFCON had 12 teams of 4 groups. 16 team AFCON started in 1996. The more the number of games the more the number of goals scored by players. Most of the AFCONs Yekini featured had only 8 teams with maximum of 5 games. Yet he emersed a total of 37 career goals. Meaning if we had 16 or 24 teams like we have today, Yekini could have scored a lot more.

Osimhen has already featured in one AFCON which is the 2019 edition. He missed out on the 2021/22 edition due to injury, just like Yekini missed out of the 1986 edition because we didn't qualify. Yekini came back smoking in the 1988 AFCON, let's see what Osimhen will do at the 2024 AFCON.

Marjoribanks:
Yekini won just one AFCON and failed to score in both Semi finals and finals of that AFCON win.
Yekini statpaded teams like Ethiopia, Gabon etc.
Yekini has just one tap in World cup goal. Missed a sitter against ten men Italy. Abeg rest!
Many watched Yekini live here ooo.

Oshimen is just 24 years old and has not even been to any AFCON as a starter yet.
Please rest all this talk! He was the highest goal scorer at the World cup qualification.
Unfortunate to lose out on away goal rule against Ghana without most of our top midfielders available for that game.
Please rest all this full potential crap.
He still has 3 to 4 AFCONs to go.

Bros, Osimhen is yet to live up to his full potential in the national team. He is a striker at 24. Most strikers peak between 22 and 27. We should see him emerge highest goals scorer in the next AFCON, lead Nigeria to the next world cup and also perform well in that world cup, then we can rate him with Yekini. Yekini was that player we greatly depended on whenever we needed a crucial win and he was greatly feared across Africa. By 1988 AFCON Yekini was also 24. He was phenomenal in the 1988, 90, 92 and 1994 AFCONs (This was 4 Straight AFCONs of being a top player!). By 1994 World Cup he was already on a decline curve, due to age, until 1998 World Cup when Ikpeba had taken over as the top striker.

Osimhen needs to keep doing it consistently for the next number of years before he can surpass Yekini.

chrisooblog:
Osimhen has to win something with the SE before we can do a comprehensive comparison with baba Yekini but we can evaluate their playing styles.

Yekini and Osimhen have similar big stature although Victor looks slimmer and slicker. Both are very single minded in wanting to score goals. Both are good in the air but Osimhen is better. Both have powerful shots but Rashidi's are like rocket launchers. Both have great hold up play but are not the most technical of players.

Osimhen is faster and his goal scoring prowess in the national team started quite early in his career whereas it took awhile before baba Yekini became prolific. The scary thing about Victor is that I don't think he's reached his peak yet.

I'm optimistic by God's grace if Osimhen stays injury free he will break Yekini's national team record in no time.

I agree 100%

Kog45:
Baba you nailed it….u Dey vacation right cuz u get time today.

I dey always read but I just dey in the gear today

Some of us are still agree over the last WC miss

ChrisKels:
How did Osimhen get the Captain armband? I don't think he is ripe for it.

I had to think again and it just occurred to me that in the absence of Ekong and Ndidi; Osimhen, Simon and Iheanacho were the oldest on the pitch. I think Simon was taken out and Ihenacho doesn't seem to have that captaincy spirit.

Kog45:
The two belonged to different era,so nobody is going to beat you on football matters or discourse….Nigeria want to see Osimehn influence in Afcon and world qualification,nothing more.

Pls mirror Yekini against São Tomé and tell me how many goals he would have scored.

That is the point bro
Take away goals Osimhen scored against Sao Tome and what will be left?

Kog45:
Yes of course but Osimehn need Afcon trophy,WC qualification irrespective of number of goals to be the real guy….even I don’t see APOTY as a big deal cuz am seeing him winning it…the koko is Afcon and World Cup qualification.

Yes, I quite agree. Osimhen is hardly yet to achieve anything with the national team.
Osimhen is just one goal short of Yakabu, three short of Odegbami and 17 short of Yekini. Barring any dip in form or long term injuries, he is looking on course to overtake Yekini.
...........but, just like many others, I still feel he is yet to attain his full potential for the national team. The Principe and Sao Tome games really helped his career. I don't know how many of such teams he will face for the rest of his career. Yekini was scoring braces against highly rated teams like Ivory Coast and Algeria back then. Osimhen is yet to taste any world cup action and yet to play in any AFCON final let alone to win it.

I still believe if Yekini was playing in today's football he will be ahead of Osimhen in the national team pecking order.