Victor Osimhen is on the verge of another major milestone as Galatasaray face Ajax in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.
The Super Eagles striker could equal or even surpass Obafemi Martins as Nigeria’s all-time top scorer in European club competitions. Osimhen currently has 22 goals — 12 in the Champions League and 10 in the Europa League — just one short of Martins’ record of 23.
A goal against Ajax will see the 26-year-old draw level with Martins, while two goals will make him Nigeria’s outright top scorer in European football.
Martins scored his 23 goals playing for clubs like Inter Milan, Newcastle, Wolfsburg, Rubin Kazan, and Levante across the Champions League, UEFA Cup, and Europa League.
Osimhen’s goals have all come in Europe’s top two competitions, as he has never featured in the UEFA Europa Conference League.
The 2023 African Player of the Year came close to a Champions League hat-trick in Galatasaray’s 3-1 win over Bodø/Glimt, where he scored twice.
So far, only nine Nigerians have scored hat-tricks in European competitions, with Yakubu Ayegbeni being the only one to do it in the Champions League. Yakubu’s treble came for Maccabi Haifa in a 3-0 win over Olympiacos on September 24, 2002. Others who have managed hat-tricks include Jay-Jay Okocha, Moses Simon, Paul Onuachu, and Ademola Lookman, who scored three in Atalanta’s 2024 Europa League final win over Bayer Leverkusen.
If Osimhen scores three goals against Ajax, he will become the second Nigerian to record a Champions League hat-trick and the 10th to do so in any European competition.
Wednesday’s game will also mark Osimhen’s 50th appearance for Galatasaray and his 20th in the Champions League — just one shy of the Nigerian record held jointly by Victor Ikpeba and Céléstine Babayaro, who both made 21 appearances.
Ikpeba played for Monaco and Borussia Dortmund, while Babayaro featured for Anderlecht and Chelsea.
Osimhen already leads the Nigerian scoring chart in Champions League history with 12 goals, ahead of Martins (10), Julius Aghahowa (7), Emmanuel Emenike (7), Ikpeba (7), and Yakubu (7).
When it comes to total Champions League appearances, Nwankwo Kanu tops the list with 60 games for Ajax and Arsenal, followed by John Obi Mikel with 59 for Chelsea.
Osimhen has been in brilliant form this season, scoring the winning penalty in Galatasaray’s 1-0 victory over Liverpool and a brace against Bodø/Glimt. His goal in that game made him the first Galatasaray player to score in seven straight European matches, breaking Burak Yilmaz’s record.
After Galatasaray’s goalless draw with Trabzonspor last weekend, Osimhen promised fans a strong comeback against Ajax.
“We couldn’t make our fans happy today, but we’ll do our best to make them smile in the Ajax match,” he said.
Speaking to UEFA, he added:
“When I joined Galatasaray, I told the president that we want to make a statement in the Champions League. We’ve dominated in Turkey, now we want to show we can compete with Europe’s best.”
With 43 goals in 49 games for Galatasaray, Osimhen has already written his name in the club’s history books.
The Turkish champions will travel to the Johan Cruyff Arena chasing their third straight Champions League win after beating Liverpool and Bodø/Glimt.
Galatasaray currently sit top of the Turkish Super League with 29 points, four ahead of Fenerbahce.
As history beckons, all eyes will be on Osimhen to see if he can once again make Nigeria proud on Europe’s biggest stage.
