Why Odion Ighalo May be Primed for AFCON 2019

Although Odion Ighalo has not exactly been revered by Nigerian fans he  has opportunity to establish himself as the unquestioned choice as Nigeria’s top striker this summer. Ighalo has been despised by a section of Nigerian football fans because of his awful goal scoring record during the early part of his national team career. But his performance during the qualifiers for the 2019 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) has bolstered that record. Presently, his record of 0.407 goals per game is ahead of reputed goal scorers such as Yakubu Aiyegbeni (0.362) and Ikechukwu Uche (0.396), and not far behind Obafemi Martins (0.419).
         Ighalo is a late bloomer, the new Emmanuel Emenike. By his 22nd game he was not remarkable but then surged in the AFCON qualifiers with seven goals. This is more like what Emmanuel Emenike had done during the period he played for Nigeria. Emenike started his first nine games scoring just once. However, he exploded at the 2013 AFCON in Africa with four goals to help Nigeria become African champions. Those four goals tied the highest number of goals that a Nigerian players has scored in an AFCON. Those others with that record are just Rashidi Yekini (1992 and 1994) and Augustine Okocha (2004). No one else has done that. Even Aghahowa, with his heroic performances at AFCONs, has recorded three goals as his best performance.
         Ighalo may be primed to match that record of four goals given the fact that he will most likely lead the line in Cairo. The group games against the likes of Burundi and Madagascar will present opportunities and lately in Nigerian colors, Ighalo has taken those. Importantly, he will enter the competition with a reasonably long streak of goal scoring that has included notable statistics at his club. From 2017/18 season, he had scored 36 in 55 games for Changchung Yatai in China, a ratio of 0.65 goals per game, and then at Shanghai Shenhua in China he has scored 7 in 9 games, 0.78 goals per game! This is a striker that appears primed for a strong AFCON.
          A look at the careers of Nigerian top goal scorers at an AFCON (Those with at least three goals), Ighalo's career goal scoring statistics do not appear to be out of place. Table 1 shows his career stats compared to those players. Although, you may argue that he is really only ahead of Emmanuel Emenike  because Okocha was not a striker, but the fact that Emenike could do it at an AFCON means that Ighalo will have his opportunities.

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