The African Player of the Year Award is one of the most prestigious accolades in football, and this year’s top contender is set to make history.
The headline states ‘contenders,’ but to be sincere, there is only one candidate for the African player of the year award, and his name is Victor Osimhen. The Super Eagles forward has been in superb form for Italian Serie A team Napoli this season, scoring 21 goals and providing four assists in 23 league appearances and four goals in five UEFA Champions League matches. He has played an important role in Napoli’s pursuit of their first Scudetto in 33 years.
Osimhen’s form has been so strong that he won Serie A Player of the Month for January, and only beaten out by teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in February. Osimhen is unquestionably a contender for the African Footballer of the Year award, which will be handed later this year or in January 2024.
Osimhen’s goals have propelled Napoli to the top of Serie A with 74 points, sixteen more than second-placed Lazio after 29 games played. They are also in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, where they will face AC Milan in the second leg in Naples.
Osimhen’s performances this season have been all the more amazing given his young age of 24. He has demonstrated that he is a world-class striker with the potential to be one of the top players in the game.
He missed out after being nominated to the FIFA 23 team of the year earlier this year.
African Player of the Year Contender, Osimhen, Lifts Super Eagles of Nigeria with Stellar Contributions
Osimhen’s contributions have also pushed Nigeria to the top of their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification group, with 9 points so far. He has five goals in the qualifiers, including four against Sao Tome and Principe last year.
Osimhen is a gifted player who is still young enough to keep developing. He has the potential to be one of the top players in the world, and he deserves to win the African Footballer of the Year award.
Since Nwankwo Kanu was named the African Player of the Year in 1999, no Nigerian has won the prestigious accolade. Five of the first eight CAF Player of the Year honours were given to Nigerian players: Rashidi Yekini, Emmanuel Amunike, Victor Ikpeba, and Nwankwo Kanu.
Osimhen’s good play in Italy proves that PSG’s Kylian Mbappé and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland are not the sole heirs to succeed Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as Ballon d’Or winners. Saying he deserves a shot at the Ballon d’Or would also not be an overstatement as well but that’s a discussion for another day.
