safarigirl:
when an argument spans 3 days, then someone should end it. Nobody posts birthday wishes past the actual birthday.

Tomorrow we'll start arguing that Ighalo is greater than Mikel because he scored goals to pull Watford out of Championship even though they were a shiiit team.

Sometimes you guys argue like women I swear.

Pavarotti:

Update on Eagles in camp

Alex iwobi Iheanacho in

http://www.soccerassembly.com/alex-iwobi-kelechi-iheancho-land-abuja-for-zambia-battle/

TheSuperNerd:

Looolllll..... I watched Yekini. I watched Kanu.... I watched all Yekini clips so no one should play that silly card of you are "too young to know" on me. Yes, I was born years after Yekini began... I was only 6yrs during his twilight national team years in 1998

I repeat..... Yekini isn't Nigeria's Finest ever. That's a fact. That's the truth. That's what the records state and no one can do anything about it.

Maybe you don't know what It means to have a heart condition and still shun out legendary performances and attain top accolades. You don't understand the odds against which Kanu strived to still achieve Greatness and Glory for Club and Country.

I made mention of Thompson Usiyen earlier on this debate. No one wanna look into it ba??

But I put it to you that Not even Yekini had a better goals ratio than Usiyen in the GreenANDWhite... 15 goals in 24 games vs 37 goals in 58 games.....

Usiyen had a short stint in Nigeria's colors and the NFA (now NFF) mis-management of situations at the time contributed to his short span with the Eagles. Legend has it that had he been around, Nigeria would have made the 1978 World Cup. He was a born goal-scorer and set NCAA goals records...

I AM NOT SAYING HE'S MORE THAN YEKINI IN OUR RANKINGS OF LEGENDS... But when it comes to goals, he edges Yekini. I may have been born in the early 90s (around 92) but I do know my history and I research a lot and watched lots of clips from the past.

So term me whatever you want... Looollll...

Indomie generation... loolll... Little kid...loollll... Whatever mehn... Lollll...

But the records are there and PUTTING ALL PARAMETERS AND PERSPECTIVES TOGETHER AS A WHOLE....... KANU RANKS AS NIGERIA'S FINEST AND GAVE US SOME OF OUR MANY BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES AS A FOOTBALLING NATION.

MIKEL IS NEXT.... ANOTHER IS FINIDI... YEKINI IS UP THERE IN NO.4... OKOCHA MAY HAVE LACKED MUCH CLUB SUCCESS BUT HE GOT TO BE NO.5.... HE GAVE US BLISS AS A NATION ALSO....

The records are everywhere.... Meanwhile, look up more on Usiyen before you make it look or sound like Yekini was the first authentic "super striker" we had... That title belongs to Usiyen.

Yekini's title is Greatest Striker in Nigeria's history coz he's nigeria's record goal scorer..... I doubt if he would have held such record had Usiyen played up to 50caps...

I refuse to bash our legends. I am tempted to do so... But I just gotta put my points across without dimming the lights of any of them.

Pavarotti:


Update Mikel has Joined camp !

forgiveness:



Of course, he is a Arsenal Legend and that's all.


Now, I didn't say coming from the bench at Arsenal alone, I said he had always came from the te te.


At Ajax, he always came from the bench, at Inter Milan, he was a ball boy, at West Bromwich same thing, Portsmouth ko, same thing.

Point of correction, Victoria Setubal is the 4th most successful club in Portugal which was top 3 best leagues in the world as at that time .

Even doing it there without attachment is bigger bonus.

He won Bola de Prata ahead of Figo, Joao Pinto, Emil Kostadinov, Krasimir Balakov, Domingos Paciência,


Now, tell me, which Competition is the biggest UEFA Champions League or European Cup?

TheSuperNerd:
@bolded.... Chaiiiii.... Just see as Madam Safari don finish me..... See my life.... Looolllll

safarigirl:
honestly, I used to think only women argue without direction, but this thread has changed my views.

The original argument here was whether Mikel belonged in the top 5 greatest Nigerian footballers. Some clowns managed to list a Top 10 without adding Mikel because they're biased as hell.

Suddenly, it became a Yekini vs Kanu battle, Jollof rice may not be many people's number 1 delicacy in Nigeria, but how does that stop it's international recognition? Many people hate pounded yam and egusi, but it is listed as our National food.


I don't know if I'm making sense, but if one person thinks Kanu is the greatest, it doesn't mean another person doesn't have the right to refute that claim irrespective of how 'illogical' his arguments may seem to #TeamKanu.

So, you may think Nigeria's best food is Garri because na that one dey help people life pass, but it won't change the fact that it is jollof rice the international community recognises, and the international community won't know that na Garri be the koko for here.

I don't know if I've made sense, y'all need to stop with the dick measurements here, it's not sexy

TheSuperNerd:
Looolllll..... I watched Yekini. I watched Kanu.... I watched all Yekini clips so no one should play that silly card of you are "too young to know" on me. Yes, I was born years after Yekini began... I was only 6yrs during his twilight national team years in 1998

safarigirl:
honestly, I used to think only women argue without direction, but this thread has changed my views.

The original argument here was whether Mikel belonged in the top 5 greatest Nigerian footballers. Some clowns managed to list a Top 10 without adding Mikel because they're biased as hell.

Suddenly, it became a Yekini vs Kanu battle, Jollof rice may not be many people's number 1 delicacy in Nigeria, but how does that stop it's international recognition? Many people hate pounded yam and egusi, but it is listed as our National food.


I don't know if I'm making sense, but if one person thinks Kanu is the greatest, it doesn't mean another person doesn't have the right to refute that claim irrespective of how 'illogical' his arguments may seem to #TeamKanu.

So, you may think Nigeria's best food is Garri because na that one dey help people life pass, but it won't change the fact that it is jollof rice the international community recognises, and the international community won't know that na Garri be the koko for here.

I don't know if I've made sense, y'all need to stop with the dick measurements here, it's not sexy

tbaba1234:


This explains it.. you were just 6 in 1998.. You did not watch Yekini. You grew up with Kanu.

The man was prolific at his prime. Have you ever been sure that a Nigerian striker will score in a game? That was yekini.

Kanu and Okocha will win popularity contests because they played in a different time

forgiveness:


I have seen both Yekini and Kanu live at the National stadium.

Greatest striker in Nigerian history!

That is just one of Yekini's Greatest attributes.

TheSuperNerd:
Loolllll.... I knew people will pick on this. It's always a cop-out to discredit my points... Loolll..

But I have harping on Thompson Usiyen...

What about that??

Ex players are usually more known by the younger generation when they stick around in Nigeria and continue to make themselves relevant in some shape or form. E.g. Chukwu, Odegbami, (both legends as players), but continued to either coach, be involved in the game either through media, administration, etc. Usiyen moved to the US.

To those who think it is fair to compare him with Yekini, it can only be b/c you didn’t watch Usiyen play. Usiyen was a more complete footballer than Yekini. He could do things with a ball that Yekini couldn’t even imagine. When Yekini first appeared on the scene around the mid 80s, he was so clumsy on the ball, couldn’t trap a bag of cement, and was more about strength and a bulala of a shot. In later years, he would cement himself as our Number 1 striker, but it took a while for him to do this. Yeah, he scored a lot of goals for us, but was never convincing as a clinical finisher. I think Yekini’s rep is more about our shortage of quality strikers than his ability.

Usiyen, on the other hand, was a certified baller. While a striker should be judged by his goals ratio, greatness is about your all-round game. This is why someone like Gary Lineker was a good finisher for England, but very few would call him a great player. While Marco Van Basten for e.g. was pure greatness. Usiyen was that type of striker – a finisher who could embarrass defenders with silky skills.

tbaba1234:


I did not watch Usiyen but i watched yekini at his prime, not clips. I also watched Kanu's whole career. i believe Yekini should be top three easily.

I think, the challenge is comparing different eras.

profmathsland:



Please I have a clarification to make concerning Thompson Usiyen, he actually scored 14 goals in 24 appearances meaning he has a goal ratio of 0.54.Rashidi Yekini 's goal ratio stands at 0.64.This means that Usiyen has a better goal scoring average than Yekini. I know people will bring arguments on this but when we are talking about the best striker in Nigeria the goal ratio is a huge criteria for this but we should also not forget the individual 's contributions to the team as well. Let our arguments be healthy from now onwards.

profmathsland:



Please I have a clarification to make concerning Thompson Usiyen, he actually scored 14 goals in 24 appearances meaning he has a goal ratio of 0.54.Rashidi Yekini 's goal ratio stands at 0.64.This means that Usiyen has a better goal scoring average than Yekini. I know people will bring arguments on this but when we are talking about the best striker in Nigeria the goal ratio is a huge criteria for this but we should also not forget the individual 's contributions to the team as well. Let our arguments be healthy from now onwards.

phamarsenal:
yekini or KANU won't help us qualify for d world cup in Russia, lets live DAT issue and discuss abt d showdown DAT is going to take place in zambia , I read an article by a Zambian journalist insisting DAT we re dependent on kids ( iwobi and iheanacho), DAT dey lack d experience at d international stage. DAT statement made me rethink, because honestly d amount of pressure we re mounting on their young shoulders is immense and I just hope dey don't allow d pressure get d best of dem on Sunday. All in all I wish d super eagles success and luck on Sunday

joseph1013:
Did you read what you wrote? How is 0.54 greater than 0.64? What you gave shows that Yekini is a more prolific striker.

Also, please provide source of your stat. Where did you get 14 goals in 24 matches from?

People also forget that it's not just about goals. All goals are not created equal. Aguero's goal against QPR is more important than Kelechi's goal against Gladbach. Yekini scored very important goals. In AFCON 1994, his goals were so important that he was named the best player of the tournament. His goals qualified us for Nigeria's first ever World Cup.

zicky:
The garri and jollof rice angle from safarigirl is the conclusion of the whole debate. One a local champion, the other a world recognize champion

TheSuperNerd:
Uhmmm.... He missed a goal. It's 15 goals in 24 apps. (0.58) I have already stated that before.....

Yekini's is 37 goals in 58 apps... (0.64)


Had Usiyen played at least 50 games.... Yekini won't hold the record.

Usiyen was Nigeria's first authentic Super Striker not Yekini.

At USA 94, where were Yekini's goals?? He wasn't even our stand-out performer at the two world cups he played in.

Kanu also scored important earth-shaking goals for Nigeria. Atlanta 96 comes to mind.

He also gave the killer pass to Utaka for that famous win over Cameroun at Afcon 2004 to break Cameroun's hoodoo over Nigeria at the Afcon. We can go on and on... But Kanu takes it.

joseph1013:
You don't know that. That's not how football works. You are judged based on what you achieved not on what you would have achieved. If Yekini had played only 32 games for Setubal scoring 34 goals and retired, someone like you would have said that if he had not retired, he would have scored more than 120 goals in 114 appearances. You see the fallacy in that?

I also asked where y'all are bringing these stats from, no one has answered. Is there any authentic source for these information? Someone said 14 goals, another said 15...tomorrow, another person would say 24. Where is the authorative source for Usiyan's goals? We have documented sources about Yekini's goals.

kilo4sure:

Honestly that mikel is a patriot. I believe he is only slightly fit especially from the uyo game, seeing how he was substituted, but he just wants to play.

TheSuperNerd:
I already said in a post to Forgiveness that it's been long I researched this. But I am certain of it.

Records from Usiyen's era are not so easy to come by.

In the earlier part of this debate... So you didn't see where Sir Bascovanveli said,

"Would Yekini have won an U-17 wc like Kanu if given the chance? "Maybe"

Olympic gold nko if picked? Maybe..."

I said nothing to that but kept it at the back of my head. I saw it as a kinda prognosis even though it never happened and can't happen again.

No one picked on it.

And yes we can prognose statistically in soccer.... Usiyen's goal-rush back then was legendary. Too bad he didn't last in the national team... Check out his scoring records in the US after he left the national team due to certain issues with the then NFA... NCAA records and the likes.... These were back in the days.


I also placed an opinion of one who actually watched Usiyen. Maybe we should all go interview more figures from usiyen's era to make it more balanced coz I don't even expect you guys to take the "extracted" account I dropped seriously.

TheGoodJoe:


[size=14pt]Kanu Makes Greatest 100 Players List[/size]

Super Eagles striker Kanu Nwankwo has been voted as a member of the 100 greatest players ever club by the Association of Football Statisticians (AFS).

The Portsmouth striker was the only African player to make the list which was dominated by Brazilians and European players both past and present and headed by Edson Arantes do Nascimento popularly known as Pele and Diego Armando Maradona.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200711120538.html

You can argue as much as you like. The Association of Football Statisticians placed Kanu as one of the top 100 back in 2007. Yekini did not make it.

TheSuperNerd:
*Yawns* no need for the long epistle.....

You can't change what history has put down. Kanu is Nigeria's No.1 Finest of all time. Loollll.... I didn't make it so... It is just what it is...

Tu comprends??


Note:

- @first bolded.... I was not afraid to say a name. Nigeria's finest striker or Nigeria's finest defender are all different from Nigeria's finest player ever putting all parameters together. Period!

- @second bolded... Stop playing the "pioneer" card... Even today, there's still discrimination against blacks in football. Today, it still takes Hardwork, Awesome effort and stand-out talent to stand in the league of "World-Class".

- @third bolded.... Yekini and Keshi are Truly African legends. Who says they aren't?? Using "Proper" shows disrespect for what Kanu, Eto'o, Finidi and a couple more achieved. So these are "improper" African legends abi?? Looollllll.... Na wa oooo....

- Finally, if a kid searches on Google and this page comes up. HE WILL SEE THE TRUTH. He will understand that These legends all have their place in History's Hall of Fame. And he will see that it is not out of place for him as a kid to say, "I wanna be greater than the former.... I wanna outshine the finest that ever was". HE WILL SEE THAT NO MATTER WHAT PEOPLE OF THE PAST HAD ACHIEVED IN WHATEVER FIELD, HE TOO CAN DO IT AND EVEN SURPASS IT.... HE WILL UNDERSTAND THAT YOU MUST NOT BE A "PIONEER" BORN IN THE 80s or 70s to be regarded as THE GREATEST. THAT KID WILL BE ABLE TO DREAM AND ACTUALLY THINK HE CAN BECOME THE GREATEST EVER.

But ofcourse, HE WON'T LOSE THAT SENSE OF APPRECIATION FOR THE LEGENDS OF THE PAST AND MORE.

That Kid will only see the Truth. Not watered down facts and sentimental comments coz of attachments to the past.

I added "these notes" for the sake of posterity also and especially for "that kid" that will surely show up.

TheSuperNerd:
I watched few clips of Usiyen. I watched several full videos and many clips of Yekini. And I watched videos, highlights, clips of Kanu and saw him play also (watching him live was predominant).

So you're right, I didn't watch "Yeking" live....

And yeah the challenge is comparing different eras. But all the same, Records-wise provided all other factors are constant... We know who tops our legends rankings.

Lemme drop someone's opinion on Usiyen.... (Someone who actually saw him play)...



I extracted it from one of the analysts on cybereagles forum.

TheSuperNerd:
Yekini's record will be broken. And we all shall witness it.... Another golden generation rises and that is what this thread is all about.

Madam Safari.... Pls pardon me. I try to keep all things connected to this thread but sometimes the "elders" in the house just make one digress a little... Lolll...

Iheanacho, Osimhen, Sadiq Umar.... Etc... One of them must shatter that record. It's because it has stood for too long a time... That's what is making it look more special than it actually is.

I wonder what we all will call the man who scores 38 goals for Nigeria... Loollll.... "Nigeria's finest" abi?... Looolll.... (But yeah..if that man is Iheanacho or Osimhen or one of the other Rising Golden boys for Nigeria's Golden Generation NEXT.... Why not abi?? Loollll )

joseph1013:
Any claim that cannot be backed cannot be admitted. We can only have a discussion on what we can prove. That Basco made a similar point does not mean it's admissible.

NCAA was a backwater league in those days. You can't see a player scoring goals for fun in the Indian league and say he's better than Griezman.

forgiveness:



Point of correction, records not record.

In addition to his records, he is the all time 3rd highest goal scorer in the history of African Cup of Nations.

tbaba1234:


I did not watch Usiyen so i can't really judge his talent but as regards yekini, Drogba is the only recent player, i can compare him to.. Many people underrated his ability at his time too, he was seen more as a finisher but his link -up play and movement were sublime.

We had strikers like Efan Ekoku and later on Chris Ohenhen, who were doing well in England and spain but could not displace yekini. With Yekini's conversion rate, we did not even need another striker.