Nigeria’s 24-year wait for a winner in the men’s category of Africa’s most prestigious award has finally come to an end after star forward Victor Osimhen won the Best Player of the Year award at the 2023 CAF Awards on Monday night.
The Napoli forward, who fended off competition from Achraf Hakimi (Morocco), and Mohamed Salah (Egypt) to win the honour, became the first Nigerian to win the category since Nwankwo Kanu in 1999.
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— CAF (@CAF_Online) December 11, 2023
Osimhen enjoyed a record-breaking campaign with Napoli in the 2022–23 season, leading the Italian side to their first Serie A title in 33 years, as well as a first-ever appearance in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League.
He scored 31 goals and provided five assists across all club competitions for Napoli last season, including scoring 26 goals in Serie A to become the first African to win the highly-coveted Capocannoniere honour as the league’s highest goalscorer.
Osimhen’s red-hot form was not limited to just club football as the fearsome No. 9 led the Super Eagles attack in their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, where he finished with ten goals, the most of any player in the qualifying rounds.
Victor Osimhen wins the CAF Player of the Year award!
He becomes the first Nigerian to win the award in 24 years!#CAFAwards2023 pic.twitter.com/BHzBWPNWCX
— Soar Super Eagles (@SSE_NGA) December 11, 2023
His triumph at the Palais des Congrès in Marrakech, Morocco, ensured a Nigerian has now won the men’s African footballer of the year five times: Rashidi Yekini (1993), Emmanuel Amunike (1994), and Nwankwo Kanu (1996 and 1999).
It also adds to Osimhen’s cabinet of individual award after recently winning the Italian Footballers’ Association (AIC) Footballer of the Year award last Monday.
