Odion Ighalo has won the just concluded 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Golden Boot which ended on Friday, July 19, 2019, having scored five goals for Nigeria in the tournament.
The 30-year-old moved two goals clear of Riyad Mahrez, Adam Ounas, Cedric Bakambu and Sadio Mane following his first-half strike against Tunisia in the third place match.
Ighalo’s heroics helped the Super Eagles finish third in Egypt. He started with one goal in the group stage, which was against Burundi and followed it up with a brace against Cameroon, before scoring one each against Algeria and Tunisia.
With this feat, Ighalo becomes the sixth Nigeria after Segun Odegbami, Rasheed Yekini, Julius Aghaowa, Jay-Jay Okocha and Emmanuel Emenike to win this prize.
Ighalo’s Golden Boot award adds to Nigeria’s AFCON achievement, the country having finished third to win the bronze for a record eight times – the Super Eagles have never lost a bronze medal match in the premier biannual Africa football summit.
Nigeria won silver in: 1984, 1988, 1990 and 2000 and were AFCON champions in 1980, 1994 and 2013.
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