By Olukayode Olumuyiwa.
Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has secured his place among the world’s most prolific international goalscorers of the current decade, as recognized by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS). The Nigerian forward joins an illustrious list featuring legends like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and stars like Kylian Mbappé, highlighting his remarkable rise in global football.
The IFFHS ranking, which covers the third decade of the 21st century (2021–2030) and is updated through the end of 2025, places Osimhen joint 14th with 27 international goals for Nigeria. This achievement ties him with Serbia’s Aleksandar Mitrović and underscores his consistent performance on the international stage, where he has netted goals across qualifiers, friendlies, and major tournaments. Osimhen’s yearly breakdown shows steady contributions: 5 goals in 2021, 5 in 2022, 5 in 2023, 3 in 2024, and a strong 9 in 2025.
At the summit of the list sits Norway’s Erling Haaland with an impressive 49 goals, followed closely by England’s Harry Kane (46), Argentina’s Lionel Messi (44), Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (41), and France’s Kylian Mbappé (39). Other notable names include the Netherlands’ Memphis Depay and Iran’s Mehdi Taremi, both with 34 goals, demonstrating the global diversity of top-tier scoring talent.
Osimhen, who permanently joined Turkish giants Galatasaray from Napoli in a record-breaking €75 million transfer in July 2025, has been a pivotal figure for Nigeria since his senior debut in 2017. With 35 goals in 51 appearances for the Super Eagles, he ranks as the country’s second-highest all-time scorer, surpassing several legends and trailing only Rashidi Yekini. His exploits have not gone unnoticed, with recent social media buzz on X (formerly Twitter) celebrating the news as a milestone for African football.
This recognition comes amid a stellar season for the 27-year-old, who has also been hailed as Africa’s top scorer in 2025 by IFFHS, with 46 goals across club and country. Fans and analysts alike are optimistic that Osimhen could climb higher in the rankings as the decade progresses, especially several qualifiers and potential AFCON campaigns.
As Nigeria continues to build around its star forward, Osimhen’s inclusion in this elite group cements his status as one of football’s most lethal strikers. The full IFFHS top 20 list as of December 31, 2025, is as follows:
- Erling Haaland (Norway) – 49 goals
- Harry Kane (England) – 46 goals
- Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 44 goals
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) – 41 goals
- Kylian Mbappé (France) – 39 goals
- Memphis Depay (Netherlands) – 34 goals
- Mehdi Taremi (Iran) – 34 goals
- Romelu Lukaku (Belgium) – 32 goals
- Sadio Mané (Senegal) – 32 goals
- Almoez Ali (Qatar) – 31 goals
- Aymen Hussein (Iraq) – 30 goals
- Ali Olwan (Jordan) – 29 goals
- Son Heung-min (South Korea) – 28 goals
- Victor Osimhen (Nigeria) – 27 goals
- Aleksandar Mitrović (Serbia) – 27 goals
- Frantzdy Pierrot (Haiti) – 26 goals
- Bruno Fernandes (Portugal) – 26 goals
- Jonathan David (Canada) – 26 goals
- Yazan Al-Naimat (Jordan) – 26 goals
- Dorny Romero (Dominican Republic) – 25 goals.
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