Aiyegbeni, Odemwingie, Iheanacho among 5 Nigerian stars with Premier League hat-tricks

- Kelechi Iheanacho is the latest Super Eagles player to grab a Premier League hat-trick

- Yakubu Aiyegbeni remains the only Nigerian footballer to have scored more hat-tricks

- Efan Ikoku is the first Nigerian player to ever score 3 goals in a single PL game

Kelechi Iheanacho is the latest Nigerian footballer to have found the back of the net three times in a single Premier League match etching his name among Super Eagles stars with a hat-trick in the English top-flight.

The 24-year-old grabbed his first Premier League hat-trick helping Leicester City wallop Sheffield United 5-0 to go move into second position on the standings.

Here we take a look at Nigerian footballers who ever painted the competition with hat-tricks - and with Iheanacho the latest, only 5 players from the most populous African country have achieved such a feat.

1. Efan Ikoku

Now 53 years old; Ikoku had a blistering career between 1989 and 2004 and scored 164 career goals in 335 league games.

He featured for several clubs in England including Bournemouth, Norwich and Sheffield United.

However his only hat-trick came in 1993 during Norwich’s 5-1 win away at Everton. He scored 4 goals in that encounter.

2. Kanu Nwankwo

‘Papilo’ remains one of Nigeria’s greatest of all-time. The former forward is still the most decorated Nigerian footballer ever and he featured for top clubs in Europe including Ajax, Inter Milan, Arsenal, West Brom and Portsmouth.

His only Premier League hat-trick was against Chelsea in 1999 coming on as a substitute helping Arsene Wenger’s side win 3-2 at the Stamford Bridge.

3. Yakubu Aiyegbeni (4 hat-tricks)

The former Super Eagles striker painted the Premier League with goals, scoring at least, a hat-trick on four different occasions.

His first PL hat-trick came in 2004 for Portsmouth in their 5-1 win over Middlesbrough, a match he grabbed 4 goals.

He scored another hat-trick that same year helping same club to a 4-3 win over Portsmouth.

In 2007 during his stint with Everton, Yakubu hit 3 goals past Fulham in their 3-0 win and in 2011 he grabbed 4 goals past Swansea City during his time at Blackburn Rovers helping the Blue and Whites secure a 4-2 victory.

4. Osaze Odemwingie

Another fine footballer out of Nigeria. Osaze also flew Nigeria’s flag in the English top-flight playing for West Brom and Stoke City.

He registered a remarkable 30 league goals for the Baggies in 87 appearances. His only Premier League hat-trick came against Wolverhampton in 2012 in their 5-1 win.

5. Kelechi Iheanacho

Super Eagles star Kelechi Iheanacho grabbed his first Premier League hat-trick on Sunday, March 14, helping Leicester City defeat Sheffield United 5-0.

AFCON 2022: start date, fixtures, groups, teams to watch out for, venues

Football

So far, Iheanacho has been directly involved in 50 goals in 76 starts across Leicester and Manchester City, scoring 36 and providing 14 assists.

The on-loan AS Monaco star scored his side’s second goal of the encounter in the 81st minute before sealing the victory with another strike right on stoppage-time.

Babajide is a digital publishing expert, an avid sports content thinker, researcher and writer. He is a graduate of Guidance and Counselling, having bagged his B.SC (ED) from the Ekiti State University. He can be reached on Twitter @JideOrevba