Garba Lawal throws out Osimhen-Yekini comparison, says Napoli striker is not ready

Former Super Eagles star Garba Lawal has disagreed with the frequent comparison between present Super Eagles star Victor Osimhen and Super Eagles legend Rashidi Yekini.

Due to Osimhen's impressive return in front of goal for the Super Eagles, many have compared the 23-year-old to the Super Eagles' all-time top scorer Yekini and also touted the Napoli star to break Yekini's record.

The comparisons got to their highest when Osimhen scored four (4) goals in a 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Sao Tome and Principe to take his national team goal tally to 15.

However, Garba Lawal believes it is too early to compare Osimhen with Yekini, stating that the Napoli forward has to play for up to 5 seasons before the comparison can be made.

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In an interview with Athlst, Lawal noted that Osimhen reminds him more of another Super Eagles striker in Daniel Amokachi rather than the legendary Yekini. 

When asked if Osimhen reminds him of Yekini, Garba Lawal said: "No, he reminds me of Daniel (Amokachi) because he has that kind of power. You know, he never gives up. That's one of his qualities that I like."

Amokachi, famously called 'Dan the Bull', played in the Super Eagles between 1990 and 1999, scoring 13 goals for the National team in 44 matches.

On breaking the Super Eagles' all-time top scorer record, Lawal insisted that Osimhen is just starting. Thus, he has a long way to go before it can be decided if he is the man or not.

"For him, he is just starting. So he has to play like four, five seasons. For you to see whether he is the man or not. You know, so he has a long long way to go," Garba Lawal said.

However, the '96 Olympic gold medalist went on to praise Osimhen's will to fight, win titles and to make a name for himself. 

"But for now, I believe he is the only striker that we have that can fight. I believe he wants to make names and he wants to win everything," Lawal concluded.

Osimhen is currently tenth on the Super Eagles all-time top scorers list with 15 goals. Yekini's Super Eagles all-time top scorer record is at 37 goals.