It was a good night for Super Eagles and Napoli striker, Victor Osimhen, as he was crowned the 2023 African Footballer of the Year in a colourful event held in Marrakech, Morocco, on Monday night.
Osimhen saw off competition from Egyptian captain and Liverpool star, Mohamed Salah and Moroccan defender, Achraf Hakimi, who plies his trade with PSG, which had further solidified his status as one of the best players in the world.
In picking the prestigious Africa’s top individual prize, the 24-year-old striker became the first Nigerian player to win the prize after legendary Nwankwo Kanu was crowned in 1999.
The prize came on the back of Osimhen’s exploits for his Italian Serie A club and the Super Eagles where he has become a fulcrum of the teams, notching up impressive performances with goals to match.
Osimhen was instrumental to Napoli winning the Italian league after three decades, notching up 26 goals in the league to become the first African to win the Pichichi top scorer award.
He also scored 10 goals to lead the Super Eagles to the 2023 Afcon which will hold in Ivory Coast next year, with the highlight being five goals against Sao Tome and Principe.
Osimhen was named in the 2023 Ballon d’Or ranking, coming in at ninth position to become the highest-ranked Nigerian in the history of the award and early this month, he picked up the gong as Italian fmFootballers’ Association Player of the Year, the first African to win the AIC award.
