Champion of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, Kenneth Omeruo, believes Victor Osimhen is not interested in being compared with legendary Nigerian striker Rashidi Yekini, Afrosport reports.
Osimhen has been very prolific for the Super Eagles since he scored his first goal against Ukraine in a friendly in September 2019, and is just four goals short of surpassing Yekini to become Nigeria’s all-time top scorer.
Yekini is often considered Nigeria’s greatest ever player, owing to how instrumental he was in helping the Super Eagles win the 1994 AFCON in Tunisia, and also reach their maiden FIFA World Cup where he scored the country’s first ever goal.
There has been a raging debate among fans and pundits that Osimhen, despite being prolific at club level and winning titles, needs to win the AFCON and also make his mark at the World Cup, to surpass Yekini and be considered the greatest Nigerian player.
Omeruo, however, does not believe that is the focus of the 27-year-old at the moment.
“I think right now Victor is not concerned about being a legend because at his age he has a lot of time to achieve it,” the former Chelsea player told Afrosport.
“I think he’s right now focusing on helping Nigeria in the nations cup, scoring more goals. The title legend will come. For him now, his focus is to keep scoring for the team.”
🚨🚨| All time top scorers for Nigerian National Team:
37 goals — Rashidi Yekini
34 goals — Victor Osimhen
23 goals — Segun Odegbami
21 goals — Yakubu Aiyegbeni pic.twitter.com/K6U01iNk7U
— Goals Side (@goalsside) January 5, 2026
Meanwhile, two other players who made their mark for the Super Eagles, William Troost-Ekong and Ahmed Musa, announced their retirement from the national team before the commencement of the AFCON 2025 tournament.
Some believe it was the wrong timing as it could have been done after the tournament, citing the need for their leadership and experience as captains.
Omeruo, however thinks whatever reason prompted their decision to retire is justified because they have served the team well and achieved so much.
“When they think they’ve had enough or they want to retire, there must be a reason,“ he added.
“The timing for us might not be the best, but for them it could be the best. Musa obviously has served us and Troost-Ekong as well, which they’ve done great for the nation.
“I know we might not have the time to ask them why now.but I think they’ve done well. They’ve achieved a lot.
“And if they want to focus on club, I think they have the right because it’s not easy going to playing for your club and still traveling the distance to go to every African country to play.
“So I think if they want to rest, spend time with the family more, I think they deserve it.”
The Final 8️⃣ Awaits #Naija4TheWin #ALGNGA pic.twitter.com/zE2Q1EY3ZN
— 🇳🇬 Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) January 9, 2026
The Super Eagles will be preparing to face Algeria in the quarter-finals of the AFCON 2025 tournament in Marrakech on Saturday, with the winner going on to face Morocco in the semi-finals.
