African top scorers taking over the Italian league

Italian football has long been a platform through which African stars are made. One of the trailblazers is George Weah, the only African footballer to ever be crowned the best player in the world.

Four attackers from Africa have made their mark in Italy this season. Log-leaders Napoli have been helped in no small part by Victor Osimhen who is leading the scorers’ chats, closely followed by his compatriot Ademola Lookman of Atalanta.

Also writing their names on the Italian football folklore is Angolan attacker M’bala Nzola who has netted nine times for Spezia while Senegalese strike Boulaye Dia has found the back of the net seven times for Salernitana.

Osimhen has scored 13 goals in 19 games this season to put perennial underachievers Napoli on the verge of their first Scudetto since the 1989-90 season when Diego Maradona inspired them to back-to-back titles. His next goal will see him equal his best scoring season in Italian football with half the season to go.

The Nigerian is looking to break the record for the most goals scored in a single season in Serie A for Napoli, the record is 36 goals by Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuaín from the 2015/16 season.

The Gli Azzurri are aware that the 24-year-old has been linked with a move away from the club next season, with Manchester United in particular believed to be interested. According to reports in Italy Napoli are ready to break their wage structure to keep the striker beyond next summer.

Born in England to Nigerian parents, Ademola Lookman made his professional debut in 2015. He has had a stop-start career which has seen him on loan at various clubs till he signed with Atalanta this season. His 11 goals put him second on the goal-scoring charts behind Osimhen.

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Hot on the heels of Lookman and Osimhen is Angolan striker M’baza Nzola. After scoring 11 goals for Spezia in his first season in Serie A, he had a lukewarm return with just two goals last season. He is back to his best this season, having already smashed his previous season’s tally at just over the halfway stage of the season.

Salernitana signed Boulaye Dia from Villarreal after an impressive season in Spain where he scored five goals and provided five assists. The 25-year-old Senegalese has continued his excellent form with seven goals for the 16th-placed club from Campania.