Victor Osimhen, Oshoala, Nnadozie shine at 2023 CAF Award
Super Eagles and Napoli striker, Victor Osimhen, has defeated Mohamed Salah of Egypt and Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi to win the 2023 CAF Men’s Player of the Year award.
The Awards Gala is currently holding at the Palais des Congrès, Movenpick, Marrakech, Morocco.
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Osimhen thus becomes the first Nigerian since Nwankwo Kanu in 1999 to win the award.
Other Super Eagles players, Rashidi Yekini, Emmanuel Amuneke and Victor Ikpeba are the only other Nigerians who had won the prestigious award.
But Nwankwo is the most notable as he remains the only Nigerian to have won the award twice in 1996 and 1999.
Only recently in Milan, the 24-year-old Osimhen was named the Italian Footballers’ Association (AIC) Player of the Year for the 2022/23 Serie A season.
He won the Golden Boot award at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup, which Nigeria won.
Osimhen made his senior international debut in June 2017 and played at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. He is currently the fourth all-time highest goal scorer of the Nigeria national team.
He was ranked number eighth in the 2023 Ballon d’Or award which was held in Paris, France and became the first Nigerian to make the top ten of the Ballon d’Or.
Similarly, Nigeria’s hot shot Asisat Oshoala, emerged the 2023 African Women’s Player of the Year.
She beat Barbara Banda of Zambia and Thembi Kgatlana of South Africa.
Also, Nigeria’s Chiamaka Nnadozie was crowned the CAF Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year for 2023.
Nnadozie beats fellow goalkeepers in the form of Moroccan shot-stopper Khadija El-Rmichi and South Africa’s Andile Olaminii
She showed her heroics in the Women’s World Cup match against Olympic champions Canada, making three saves, including stopping a 50th-minute penalty from Christine Sinclair.
Her performances in the game secured a goalless draw for the Super Falcons, earned her a Player of the Match Award and garnered international attention.
The 23-year-old, in her acceptance speech, said, ”I just want to use this great opportunity to say a very great thank you to the organisers and also for remembering the female goalkeeper this year.”
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