Nigeria was one of the best players in the world last year, but he may have to wait a while before winning the prestigious award
Super Eagles and Napoli striker Victor Osimhen are in contention for the 2023 Ballon d’Or. The winner will be announced today, October 30th, reports Soccernet.ng.
The much-anticipated 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony begins on Monday at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, France. Viewers can watch a live stream of the event on France Football’s official website from 6pm Nigerian time.
Last year, Karim Benzema won the prestigious title over Sadio Mane and Kevin De Bruyne.
Osimhen had special performances in Napoli and Nigeria, but there are three main contenders in this year’s race. Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappé.
Messi, who won the FIFA World Cup and the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award with Argentina last year, also won the French league title with PSG before moving to Inter Miami.
Haaland, meanwhile, had a winning season, winning the Champions League, FA Cup and Premier League with Manchester City, scoring an impressive 52 goals in all competitions.
As for Mbappé, his leadership led France to runners-up in the World Cup, winning the Golden Boot as the tournament’s top scorer and winning the French Ligue 1 title with PSG.
Osimhen is considered the best player as he helped Napoli win their first Scudetto in 30 years. The Eagles striker became the first African player to win the award and also became Serie A’s top scorer.
Other noteworthy nominees i
Other candidates include Mohamed Salah, Kevin De Bruyne and Antoine Griezmann.
