Osimhen had a great year and his hard work paid off
Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen beat Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah and PSG star Achraf Hakimi to win Soccernet.ng‘s 2023 CAF Player of the Year award.
Osimhen has been one of the best players on the continent in recent years. The Nigerian striker became Napoli’s talisman on their way to the Serie A title, scoring his 26 goals in Serie A and becoming the first African to win the Capocannoniere. He also broke the long-held scoring record in Serie A by Samuel Eto’o and George Weah.
He also scored five goals in the Champions League, helping the Parthenopeans reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the first time.
After a great campaign, he was nominated for the FIFA Best Award and the Ballon d’Or. Alongside Salah and Hakimi, he was also shortlisted for his CAF’s 2023 award.
The CAF event was held in Marrakech on Monday and featured some of the biggest names in African football history, including Rigoberto Song and El Hadji Diouf.
Until this year, Nwankwo Kanu was the last Nigerian to win the award in 1999, but Osimhen was comparable. Former Arsenal player’s record when winning the award.
The Napoli star defeated Salah and Hakimi to win the award in Marrakech. Even better, Osimhen was also nominated for his CAF Team of the Year.
