By Daily Sports Nigeria on January 3, 2026

After an outstanding 2024/25 season and an impressive start to the 2025/26 campaign with Galatasaray, Victor Osimhen finished the year 2025 as Nigeria’s top goalscorer, netting 46 goals in 52 appearances for club and country. He also ranked fifth globally, level with eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi on the same goal tally, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

In the year under review, Osimhen scored nine goals for Nigeria in 10 matches and 37 goals for Galatasaray in 42 appearances.

The Nigerian striker finished behind only Kylian Mbappé (66 goals), Harry Kane (60 goals), Erling Haaland (57 goals), and Kevin Hernández of Puerto Rico’s SSC (48 goals), while matching Messi’s 46-goal haul but achieving the feat in fewer matches. Messi reached the tally in 54 games.

Others on the global list include Benfica and Greece striker Vangelis Pavlidis in seventh place with 45 goals; Guilherme Bissoli of Buriram United and Brazil with 44 goals; Cristiano Ronaldo with 41 goals; and Jorge Rivera of Metropolitan FA and Puerto Rico with 40 goals.

Osimhen scored his first goal of the year against Göztepe on January 4, 2025, during Galatasaray’s 2-1 win in the Turkish Super Lig. His last goal for the club in 2025 came in their 4-1 victory over Antalyaspor on December 13, before he joined the Super Eagles camp for the 2025 AFCON in Morocco.

Thanks to his prolific run, the 27-year-old also finished as the top scorer in the Turkish Super Lig last season, as Galatasaray secured a league and cup double.

As far as Nigeria is concerned, other notable goalscorers in 2025, although some distance behind Osimhen, include:

Cyriel

Dessers may not always be a regular starter for the national team, but he continued to deliver consistently at club level. In 2025, he moved from Rangers to Panathinaikos in Greece and recorded 22 goals in 44 appearances for club and country. One of those goals came for Nigeria in an international friendly in March.

Paul Onuachu (15 goals in 34 games)

After a difficult spell in England with Southampton, Onuachu returned to Turkey and rediscovered his form with Trabzonspor. He scored 15 goals in 34 appearances for club and country in 2025, including his first-ever AFCON goal during Nigeria’s group-stage match against Uganda.

Tolu Arokodare (14 goals in 54 games)

Arokodare, who emerged as the best African player in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League during the 2024/25 season before moving to Wolverhampton Wanderers, scored 14 goals in 54 matches for club and country in 2025. He also netted his maiden Super Eagles goal on September 6, 2025, in Nigeria’s 1-0 win over Rwanda in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Ademola Lookman (13 goals in 44 games)

Lookman scored 13 goals in 44 appearances for club and country, with only two of those goals—both during the group stage of the 2025 AFCON—coming for Nigeria. Injuries and transfer-related issues limited his involvement for Atalanta for part of the year, affecting his overall goal contribution.

Source Punch Ng

Posted January 3, 2026

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