TOP5 NIGERIA STRIKERS CURRENTLY MAKING WAVES AROUND THE WORLD: June 2013 Rating

Nigeria isn’t in short supply of quality top strikers. So there wasn’t any acceptable reason why Stephen Keshi, Nigeria national team coach, should have gone to a tournament like the FIFA confederations cup without one or two prolific strikers.

Well, we thought we should find out which football player will be included in the list of top five Nigeria strikers currently making waves around the world. So we went out to ask some football experts, Journalist, and fans. A thousand respondents were given a questionnaire to fill in 1 to 5 in descending order, who they consider to be among the current top 5 Nigeria strikers. This is the answers we got.

 Emmanuel Emernike is currently rated number 1 and the best Nigeria striker. His outstanding performance at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) remains fresh in the heart of football fans.

Emernike’s 4 goals won him the AFCON2013 highest goal scorer award, which also helped Nigeria to become the African champions in February.

In 2012, Emernike had already scored a total of 8 goals for Spartak Moscow and was the club’s second highest goal scorer last season, in spite of the injury that kept him off the game since February.

Keshi bemoaned Emernike’s injury and stated that the player would have made a lot of difference for the Nigerian team at the 2013 Confederations cup.

Emernike is gradually recovering his fitness and Nigerian football fans will be happy to see him play again for the national team.

 Ikechukwu Uche is currently rated the second best Nigeria striker. He has been in terrific form for Villarreal, especially in the month of May where he scored in every game for the team.

Uche was the highest goal scorer for Villarreal team. He scored a total of 14 league goals to help his team secure promotion back to the Spanish La’Liga.

Although, Uche also scored a total of 6 goals for the Nigeria national team during some of the world cup and Nations cup qualifiers in 2012, his off form at 2013 AFCON, where he didn’t score any goal, may have put out of favor with the national team coach. And with the arrival of the new block buster, Emmanuel Emernike, Uche was forced to play the second fiddle.

Obafemi Martins is rated the 3^rd best Nigeria striker. Martins have already scored 7 goals for levante in the Spanish La’Liga before he was transferred to Seattle Sounders at the Major League Soccer (MLS). Now at Seatttle, Martins scored 4 goals before the end of the season.

Martins striking prowess is not in doubt since his days at Inter Milan, Newcastle United, FK Rubin, VFL Wolfburg… He had also scored some very important goals for the Nigeria national team in the past.

Martins was not in the team that won AFCON in February and couldn’t justify the chance given to him at world cup qualifier, Nigeria vs Kenya, in Calabar. Keshi had to replace him in the second half of that game.

However, many football analysts believe that Martins still have a vital role to play in the current Super Eagles squad and we are hopeful that Keshi may give him another call up soon.

Victor Anichebe is one player I think has been under utilized at the Nigeria national team. He was currently rated the 4^th best Nigeria striker.

Anichebe was on fire for Everton last season. He tormented many defenders with his fast pace and power play, he scored a total of 8 goals for his club.

Anichebe had previously played in the shadows of his former team mate, Yakubu Aiyegbeni and couldn’t get enough playing time at the national team. But many football analysts believe now may be the right time for keshi to call him back to strengthen the striking force of the super eagles and give the team more striking options.

Success Isaac surprisingly was rated the 5^th best Nigeria striker. The young cadet who play for the under 17 Nigeria national team got the vote of many football fans.

The cadet star that scored 6 goals to claim the highest goal scorer award at the Africa under 17 championships, have been tipped to be the future striker for Nigeria.

Success dexterity and knack for goals has brought him to sudden limelight. Even Manu Garba, Nigeria under 17 coach, has lost count of how many goals Success has scored since his arrival at the under 17 team.

Another ex-international, Emmanuel Amunike, predicts that Success will be an instant hit at the world scene after the FIFA world under 17 tournaments in Dubai by October 2013.