Without an iota of doubt, Super Eagles striker Paul Onuachu is one of the best strikers in Europe this season considering how prolific he has been so far for Genk.
Paul Onuachu tops the scorer’s chart in the league with 27 goals and he has two goals at the moment in the domestic cup which brings his tally for the season to 29 – the most by any Nigerian this season.
Aside from the 6ft striker, other Nigerian strikers who currently having a good season include, Leicester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho, Crotone’s Simy Nwankwo(16 Serie A goals), Napoli’s Victor Osimhen (5 Serie A goals), Peter Olayinka with 6 league goals for Slavia Prague.
However, this mot the first time a Nigerian striker scoring as high as 25 or more goals in a single season in Europe. History teaches that three Nigerian strikers have already set a standard in the past.
You have to admit that Nigeria’s illustrious class of strikers/forwards over the years is one to be jealous of considering the exploits of these strikers in the colors of the Super Eagles as well as in Europe.
The likes of Rashidi Yekini, Richard Owubokiri, Jonathan Akpoborie, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Obafemi Martins stand tall among the hierarchy of Nigerian strikers who with remarkable performances in Europe for their respective clubs.
Paul Onuachu over the last few months seems to have written his name in the revered list of Nigeria’s top strikers and as the season draws to a close, Paul Onuachu will be looking equal and surpass the following records set by his predecessors.
Richard Owubokiri in 1991/1992 – his first, scored 30 goals for Boavista as they not only finished third but also won the Taca De Portugal trophy. Owubokiri finished as the league’s top scorer.
Rashidi Yekini had earlier played for Shooting Stars, Abiola Babes, and African Sports before he joined Portuguese side, Vitoria Setubal where he had his glorious years in Europe. Yekini was devastating with his pace and power.
In the 1992/1993 season, he scored 34 goals in 32 games as he helped his side secure promotion into the Portuguese top flight.
Jonathan Akpoborie scored a whopping 37 goals in 32 matches for Stuttgart Kickers in the German second division in the 1994/1995 season.
With two official matches for Onuachu this season, one valid question is if he can break at least one of the records if not all. Genk has one match left in the league and a Cup final with Standard Liege later this month. .
It remains to be seen if he will score a couple of goals to increase his talky for the season and also break one or two of the records.
