Nwankwo Kanu was never a typical goal machine. The tall Nigerian forward was famous for his touch, his tricks and his habit of scoring important goals, often after coming off the bench. Across almost two decades, he won the Champions League, two Premier League titles, three FA Cups and Olympic gold.
So, how many goals did Nwankwo Kanu score in his career? Based on the most complete records, he scored 136 senior goals: 124 for his clubs and 12 for Nigeria. This article breaks down those goals club by club, highlights the most important ones, and explains why his value went far beyond the numbers.
Nwankwo Kanu’s Career Goals at a Glance
The table below shows Kanu’s appearances and goals in all competitive senior matches for each team.
| Team | Matches | Goals |
| Iwuanyanwu Nationale (Nigeria) | 25 | 15 |
| Ajax | 74 | 27 |
| Inter Milan | 20 | 1 |
| Arsenal | 198 | 44 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 58 | 9 |
| Portsmouth | 167 | 28 |
| Club total | 542 | 124 |
| Nigeria (senior) | 86 | 12 |
| Senior career total | 628 | 136 |
Sources differ slightly. Arsenal lists Kanu with 197 games for the club, and some records credit him with 13 goals for Nigeria.
Early Years: Nigeria and Ajax
Born in Owerri on 1 August 1976, Kanu first attracted attention at the 1993 FIFA U-17 World Championship in Japan, where he scored five goals as Nigeria won the title. He had already scored 15 goals in 25 league games for Iwuanyanwu Nationale, helping the club win the Nigerian league.
Ajax signed him in 1993. In three seasons in Amsterdam, he scored 27 goals in 74 matches, including 25 in the Eredivisie, and won three Dutch titles. He came off the bench in the 1995 Champions League final, when Ajax beat AC Milan 1-0, and started the 1996 final, which Ajax lost to Juventus on penalties.
Inter Milan and a Career-Threatening Heart Problem
In 1996, Inter Milan paid around $4.7 million for Kanu. Soon after he arrived, a medical test revealed a serious heart defect affecting his aortic valve. Doctors feared his career was over, but Inter president Massimo Moratti paid for surgery in Cleveland in November 1996. Kanu returned in April 1997, but he scored only once in 20 matches for Inter.
Arsenal: 44 Goals and Cult-Hero Status
Arsène Wenger signed Kanu for about £4.15 million in February 1999. His first Arsenal goal was a winner off the bench against Derby County in the FA Cup, and he quickly earned a reputation as a super-sub. His best season was 1999-2000, when he scored 17 goals in 50 matches.
The most famous of those goals came in October 1999 at Stamford Bridge. With Arsenal 2-0 down against Chelsea, Kanu scored a hat-trick in about 15 minutes to win the game 3-2. The third goal, scored from a very tight angle near the touchline, remains one of the Premier League’s most replayed moments.
Kanu scored 44 goals in 198 games for Arsenal, almost half of them as a substitute. He won the Double in 2002, another FA Cup in 2003, and was part of the Invincibles team that went unbeaten in the 2003-04 Premier League. In 2008, Arsenal fans voted him 13th in the club’s Greatest 50 Players poll.
West Brom and Portsmouth: Big Goals Late in His Career
Kanu joined West Bromwich Albion on a free transfer in 2004 and scored nine goals in 58 matches. One of them was an equaliser against Arsenal in October 2005, in a 2-1 win for Albion.
At Portsmouth, he enjoyed a strong revival. He scored twice on his debut and finished 2006-07 as the club’s top scorer with 12 goals. In 2008, he scored the only goal in both the FA Cup semi-final against West Brom and the final against Cardiff City, winning his third FA Cup. He scored 28 goals in 167 games for Pompey.
Goals for Nigeria
Kanu’s most celebrated international moment came at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, where he captained Nigeria. In the semi-final against Brazil, he scored twice late on, including the winner in extra time, as Nigeria won 4-3. They went on to win gold, and Kanu was named African Footballer of the Year in 1996, an award he won again in 1999.
For the senior team, Kanu scored 12 goals in 86 matches between 1994 and 2011, according to match-by-match records. He played at the 1998, 2002 and 2010 World Cups, and he was once Nigeria’s joint most-capped player.
More Than a Goalscorer
Kanu’s goal record works out at roughly one goal every four club games, which is modest for a forward. However, the numbers do not show his creativity, his role in setting up teammates or the timing of his goals. He scored 54 Premier League goals for three clubs, many of them in decisive moments.
Away from the pitch, his own heart surgery led him to create the Kanu Heart Foundation in 2000, which has helped African children with heart conditions. For many fans, that is as much a part of his legacy as any of his 136 goals.