African Cup of Nations 2019: Top 5 contenders for the Golden Boot

The AFCON 2019 will witness several attacking talents, who will jostle for the Golden Boot prize
The AFCON 2019 will witness several attacking talents, who will jostle for the Golden Boot prize

#4 Odion Ighalo (Nigeria)

Ighalo has reinstated his place in the Nigerian starting line-up
Ighalo has reinstated his place in the Nigerian starting line-up

Once a prolific scorer in the Premier League, Ighalo’s international career hit the rocky roads when he switched to the Chinese Super League in 2016.

Not only was he subsequently overlooked on multiple occasions, but also made a paltry return of only two goals in eight appearances across two years.

A testing World Cup campaign last year, where he failed to fire, put him at the receiving end of more censure and criticism from the Nigerian fans. But Ighalo ain’t amongst those to back down.

In the qualifiers of this tournament, the former Watford hitman struck seven times to not only drag the Super Eagles to the finals, but also finish as the top scorer of the campaign.

His commendable resurgence has now regained him the trust of the fans and their manager alike, and will most likely spearhead Nigeria’s line-up given the decline of Kelechi Iheanacho and Ahmed Musa.

Quick Links