Tolu Arokodare wrote his name into Ajax history on Sunday, matching a 32-year-old club record set by Patrick Kluivert as the Super Eagles striker scored in Ajax’s 2-2 Eredivisie draw at FC Twente. The Arokodare Ajax record — scoring in six of his first seven Eredivisie starts — makes the Nigerian only the second player in the Dutch giants’ history to achieve the feat, 32 years after the club legend set the mark.
It was another statement afternoon from a striker who simply cannot stop scoring, even if the result left Ajax frustrated after they threw away a two-goal lead in Enschede.
Arokodare strikes inside three minutes
Arokodare needed just two minutes and 22 seconds to make his mark at De Grolsch Veste, rising highest to power home a header from Oscar Gloukh’s cross from the left flank. It was Ajax’s quickest league goal since October 27, 2019, when they scored against Feyenoord after one minute and 59 seconds.
The goal was the fifth consecutive match in which Arokodare has found the net, and it took his tally to 12 goals and four assists in just 16 appearances for Ajax this season. The Super Eagles forward was booked in the 52nd minute, had a penalty overturned by VAR in the 75th minute, and was replaced by Marcos Leonardo in the 87th minute.
Arokodare Ajax record: six goals in seven starts
The headline number is the one that puts Arokodare alongside Kluivert. According to reports in the Netherlands, he has become only the second Ajax player to score in six of his first seven Eredivisie starts, equalling a record established by the former Netherlands international 32 years ago.
It is a remarkable return for a player who arrived at Ajax on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers in July, with the Dutch club holding a €20 million option to make the move permanent. Only last week, Arokodare told The Nation that Ajax “feels like heaven” and that he wants to stay in Amsterdam forever — and performances like this one are making that wish harder for the club to ignore.
His form has been relentless. He scored twice and set up another in Thursday’s 6-1 win over Midtjylland, and he has now scored in each of his last five matches in all competitions.
Twente fight back as Ajax miss top spot
Ajax looked set for a comfortable victory — and a return to the top of the Eredivisie — when Rayane Bounida doubled their lead in the 66th minute, finishing off another Gloukh assist. But Twente hit back within two minutes, Dies Janse inadvertently turning the ball into his own net to make it 2-1.
The hosts completed the comeback deep into stoppage time. After VAR intervened when Lucas Rosa held Ramiz Zerrouki, Twente were awarded a penalty and Wout Weghorst converted in the 95th minute to snatch a 2-2 draw and deny Ajax the chance to go top.
What it means for the Super Eagles
Arokodare’s record-breaking form could hardly be better timed for Nigeria. The striker is part of Eric Chelle’s 24-man Super Eagles squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Tanzania, with the camp opening in Uyo and the players reporting today. Nigeria host Tanzania at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium on Friday, November 13, before the return leg in Zanzibar on Tuesday, November 17.
With Victor Osimhen sidelined after knee surgery and Samuel Chukwueze also out, Chelle will lean heavily on his in-form forwards — and right now, none of them is hotter than Arokodare. For more on the qualifiers, check today’s predictions.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0, Mtjonenfa) — collage by SportsBuddy
