Obaje celebrates 100th NPFL goal, joins elite trio

Rangers International striker Godwin Obaje

Rangers International striker Godwin Obaje has said he is thrilled to have scored his 100th goal in the Nigeria Premier Football League, a feat that puts him alongside Victor Ezeji and Rabiu Ali in the league’s 100-goal club, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Obaje reached the landmark with an 11th-minute penalty in Rangers’ 1-0 win over Warri Wolves in Ozoro, Delta State, on Wednesday, September 30.

The goal also earned the Flying Antelopes three points in a rescheduled fixture.

Speaking to PUNCH Sports Extra, Obaje said the achievement was the reward for years of hard work.

“I feel very happy to have achieved this. It is something I have worked very hard to achieve,” he said.

He admitted he never set out with the number in mind, saying, “To be honest, I never thought of it. I just felt I should keep working hard to score as much as I can.”

On joining two of the league’s greatest players, he added, “I am very happy to be listed among these great legends in the league.

“I am really honoured to be named among big names like this, and I will forever cherish this moment.”

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The 30-year-old is only the third player to reach the mark, and he still has some way to go to catch the two men ahead of him.

Ezeji, who retired as the most decorated player in Nigerian league football, finished his NPFL career with 148 goals.

The Rivers State-born striker shared the league’s top-scorer award with Ghana’s Joetex Frimpong in 2002 after scoring 16 goals. He played for Sharks, Eagle Cement, Dolphins, Enyimba, Sunshine Stars and Heartland, with a spell at Tunisian side Club Africain in between.

He is credited with winning two CAF Champions League titles with Enyimba, and he scored the goal that gave Sharks the WAFU Cup. He also played for the Super Eagles in 2004.

Rabiu Ali, the Kano Pillars captain, has 144 goals and is still adding to his tally. The 46-year-old grew up in the Fagge area of Kano, where his primary school mates gave him the nickname “Mai Gida”.

He returned to Pillars in 2007 after a spell at Nasarawa United and has become synonymous with the club, popularly called Sai Masu Gida. He is also the oldest professional player in the country.

Obaje’s goals have come across five clubs. He scored 25 for Wikki Tourists, where he won the 2016 Golden Boot with 18 goals, 16 for FC Ifeanyi Ubah, one for Plateau United and 23 for Abia Warriors. His Rangers tally now stands at 35.

Rangers honoured him before kick-off on Sunday, when they beat Abia Warriors 3-1 at the Awka Township Stadium on Matchday Seven. The defending champions had lost 2-0 to Ikorodu City on Matchday Six, but have now won two games in a row.