Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has been named among the world’s most prolific international goalscorers of the current decade alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Kylian Mbappe by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS).
The Galatasaray striker made the podium for the Top Scorers of National Teams in the Third Decade of the Twenty-First Century (2021-2030) rankings, joining some of football’s biggest stars.
Osimhen is 14th on the list, alongside Serbia’s Aleksandar Mitrović, with 27 international goals since 2021.
The achievement demonstrates the Galatasaray forward’s exceptional consistency and places him among the most prolific finishers in world football throughout the period under consideration.
A breakdown of his data reveals consistent output throughout the decade. He scored five goals in 2021, six in 2022 and 2023, three in 2024, and nine in 2025, his most productive year to date.
Norway’s Erling Haaland leads the IFFHS rankings, having scored 49 international goals since 2021, ahead of England captain Harry Kane on 46 and Argentina superstar Lionel Messi on 44.
Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal has 41 goals, while France’s Kylian Mbappe has 39. Memphis Depay of the Netherlands and Mehdi Taremi of Iran both have 34 points, while Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku and Senegal’s Sadio Mane have 32, and Son Heung-min of South Korea has 28.
Beyond the decade figures, Osimhen’s overall impact in Nigeria continues to expand. Since his Super Eagles debut in 2017, he has 35 goals in 51 matches, earning him the country’s second-highest goalscorer of all time.
The 27-year-old is now Nigeria’s vice-captain, having surpassed greats like Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Segun Odegbami, Obafemi Martins, and Ikechukwu Uche. Only the famous Rashidi Yekini is ahead of him, by two goals.
In 2025, Osimhen was the joint fifth-highest scorer in all competitions, having scored 46 goals for both his club and country. This made him the top African scorer of the year, with the best single-year total for an African player since 2019.
The 2023 African Footballer of the Year has two AFCON bronze medals and one silver, but he has yet to win a continental crown. With Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda hosting the 2027 event, Osimhen will be eager to turn individual achievements into international success for Nigeria.
