Nwankwo Kanu
Be the first in the stands
NigeriaCounted from the international goal archive — every scorer-credited goal in the matches it covers, 1916 to today. A record of covered matches, not a complete career count; own goals never join a scorer's tally.
Nwankwo Christian Kanu is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a forward. A member of the Arsenal 'Invincibles', he was named by the club as one of its greatest ever players. Kanu is widely considered one of the greatest African footballers of all time. — Wikipedia
identity matched to Wikidata · last verified 2026-09-14
In the line-ups
8 appearances in recorded line-ups · 1998–2010The archive holds 8 team sheets naming Nwankwo Kanu in Nigeria's starting line-up, from 1998-06-28 to 2010-06-22.
8 appearances in the starting line-ups the archive holds — not a career total. Our line-up coverage is partial, so a match he played that we hold no sheet for is simply not counted here.
International goals in our archive
8 goals across 7 scoring matches · 2 tournaments · 2000–2005| Date | Opponent | Result | Minutes | Competition | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-10-08 |  Zimbabwe | W5–1(h) | 80' (pen) | FIFA World Cup qualification | Abuja |
| 2005-03-26 |  Gabon | W2–0(h) | 81' | FIFA World Cup qualification | Port Harcourt |
| 2003-06-07 |  Malawi | W4–1(h) | 22' 35' | African Cup of Nations qualification | Abuja |
| 2001-05-05 |  Liberia | W2–0(h) | 11' | FIFA World Cup qualification | Port Harcourt |
| 2001-01-27 |  Sudan | W3–0(h) | 82' | FIFA World Cup qualification | Port Harcourt |
| 2000-07-09 | Liberia | L1–2(a) | 36' | FIFA World Cup qualification | Paynesville |
| 2000-04-22 |  Eritrea | W4–0(h) | 89' | FIFA World Cup qualification | Lagos |
Honours
21 team trophies · Wikipedia + Wikidata, community-updated| Team honours21 | ||||
| UEFA Champions League | ×1 | 1994–95 | Ajax | |
| Premier League | ×2 | 2001–02, 2003–04 | Arsenal | |
| Nigerian Premier League | ×1 | 1992–93 | Iwuanyanwu Nationale | |
| African Cup of Nations Bronze | ×4 | 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 | Nigeria | |
| Eredivisie | ×3 | 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96 | Ajax | |
| FA Cup | ×3 | 2001–02, 2002–03, 2007–08 | Arsenal ·2, Portsmouth ·1 | |
| Afro-Asian Cup of Nations | ×1 | 1995 | Nigeria | |
| FA Charity Shield | ×1 | 1999 | Arsenal | |
| FIFA U-17 World Championship | ×1 | 1993 | Nigeria U17 | |
| Intercontinental Cup | ×1 | 1995 | Ajax | |
| Summer Olympics | ×1 | 1996 | Nigeria U23 | |
| UEFA Cup | ×1 | 1997–98 | Inter Milan | |
| UEFA Super Cup | ×1 | 1995 | Ajax | |
| Individual honours9 | ||||
| Player of the year · 4 | ||||
| African Footballer of the Year | ×2 | 1996, 1999 | ||
| BBC African Footballer of the Year | ×2 | 1997, 1999 | ||
| Teams of the season · 1 | ||||
| IFFHS All-time Africa Men's Dream Team | 2021 | |||
| More honours · 4 | ||||
| Ajax Talent of the Year (Marco van Basten Award) | 1994–95 | |||
| FA Cup final Man of the Match | 2008 | |||
| IFFHS Legends | ||||
| Title of honor | 2023 | |||
| Orders & distinctions2 | ||||
| Gold medal | 2008 | |||
| Officer of the Order of the Niger | ||||