It's A Three Horse Race for NPFL's Golden Boot

It's A Three Horse Race for NPFL's Golden Boot

By Gbenga Gboyega

Enyimba, Bayelsa United, and Bendel Insurance all have candidates in the running for the Golden Boot award come the end of the 2023 Abridged NPFL season, with Obioma Chukwuemeka, Robert Mizo, and Imade Osarenkhoe leading the goals chart.

Imade opened the campaign with the first goal of the season for Bendel Insurance against Akwa United on the 8th of January, and led the charge for goals, until scoring his latest for his club against the same team, Akwa United in late March.

Bendel Insurance are arguably the best team of the season so far, based on their unbeaten status, and first position on the Group A standings, and Imade's eight goals of the team's 20 in total stands at an impressive 40% goal contribution rate.

Robert Mizo of Bayelsa United then came from behind to equal Imade's tally of eight goals, after scoring three goals in his last four league games, to sit joint-second behind Obioma who is one goal ahead of the lot.

Chukwuemeka Obioma of Enyimba edges the rest with nine goals from ten appearances, and is the only player on the chart to have scored a brace twice this season, against Kwara United and El Kanemi Warriors, with both games coming on home turf.

Further down the pecking order is Umar Abba of Lobi Stars, David Okoromi of Niger Tornadoes, Cyril Olisemah of Akwa United, and Musa Usman of Doma, all join-third with six goals each, completing the top seven goalscorers thus far with three league games to go before the Super Six round.

The race poses to go down the wire as the first (9) and seventh (6) are separated by only three goals, while the first and third (8) are separated by just one goal.

It would be interesting to see which club produces the player with the most goal of the campaign, to add spice to an already intriguing campaign on all fronts.