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Napoli striker Victor Osimhen scored his 100th career goal on Friday (February 17) with a strike in their 2-0 win over Sassuolo in the Serie A. In doing so, he became one of the fastest-ever players to hit the milestone for club and country.
The Nigerian striker was on target in the 33rd minute to double the Partenopei's advantage after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia opened the scoring for the visitors.
It was the hundredth strike of his career, 85 at club level and 15 with the Nigerian national team. More importantly, though, he was able to set the record in just 197 matches, faster than even Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi brought up his 100th career strike in 210 games while Ronaldo took 310 matches to score a century of goals. Meanwhile, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, another prolific goalscorer of this generation, needed 245 games.
Following a slow start to his career at Wolfsburg, Osimhen broke out at Charleroi in the Belgian League. He then continued his goalscoring spree with Lille in the French league.
Napoli secured his signature in 2020 for a club-record fee of €70 million and he has since netted 47 times from 85 games in all competitions.
His blistering run of form has played a crucial role in the side's title charge. Luciano Spalletti's side sit a staggering 18 points clear of Inter Milan at the top of the Serie A table, albeit playing one more game.
Osimhen, however, trails two players on the list of fastest to reach 100 career goals.
Paris Saint-Germain ace Kylian Mbappe is second on the list, having struck 100 goals in just 180 games. Manchester City starlet Erling Haaland leads the record with 146 appearances.
Napoli continue to surge towards Serie A title
Napoli have been in unstoppable form this season and that continued with a 2-0 win over Sassuolo on Friday. The Italian side picked up their 20th win in 23 games to open up an 18-point lead at the top of the table.
The Partenopei have lost just once this season, a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Inter Milan in January. They appear to have etched their name on this season's Serie A trophy already.
Both Milan teams have somewhat faltered this season and Juventus has been docked 15 points for breaching financial regulations. Hence, the path is clear for Napoli to secure their first top-flight crown since the 1989-90 season.
