Super Eagles star Iheanacho rewrites Turkish football’s history books

Kelechi Iheanacho has etched his name into Turkish football history after scoring in ten consecutive matches, surpassing a record previously shared by two legendary Turkish forwards.

The Super Eagles striker reached the milestone on Thursday with a brace and an assist in Bursaspor’s commanding 3-0 victory over Muğlaspor, extending a remarkable scoring run that has made him one of the standout performers in the division.

Iheanacho was at the heart of Bursaspor’s victory at Muğla Atatürk Stadyumu, delivering another decisive performance after a goalless first half. The Nigerian initially thought he had opened the scoring in the 48th minute, heading home following a goalmouth scramble, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside.

Eight minutes later, however, the former Manchester City and Leicester City forward made no mistake. Halil Akbunar teed him up in the 58th minute, allowing Iheanacho to break the deadlock and extend his scoring streak to ten consecutive matches.

According to Turkish newspaper Hürriyet, the achievement takes him beyond the nine-game scoring runs recorded by Galatasaray icon Metin Oktay during the 1962–63 season and former Turkey international Saffet Sancaklı with Kocaelispor in 1995–96.

Iheanacho had already established a new Bursaspor club record before Thursday’s encounter, scoring in nine successive matches to surpass Fernandao’s eight-game streak from the 2014–15 campaign. His latest achievement therefore represents a milestone at both club and national football levels, placing the Nigerian ahead of two celebrated figures in the history of the Turkish game.

Iheanacho was not finished after breaking the deadlock. In the 73rd minute, he doubled Bursaspor’s advantage with a left-footed finish from inside the penalty area, putting the visitors firmly in control.

The 29-year-old then turned provider in the 83rd minute, setting up Hüseyin Maldar to complete the 3-0 victory.

His contribution took his tally to 14 goals and three assists in ten appearances this season, an extraordinary return that underlines his influence since joining Bursaspor from Celtic earlier in the campaign.

The Nigerian has quickly established himself as the club’s leading goalscorer and attacking focal point, with his consistency proving particularly impressive. Scoring across ten consecutive matches requires more than occasional flashes of quality, and Iheanacho has continued to deliver regardless of the opposition.

For Bursaspor, his form has provided a major attacking advantage. For Nigeria, it offers an encouraging reminder of the striker’s goalscoring ability as he continues to make headlines abroad.

Having already surpassed Bursaspor’s previous benchmark, Iheanacho has now set his sights on extending a run that has taken him beyond two of Turkish football’s historic scoring records.