Victor Osimhen is the best African player of 2023

On the night of December 11, Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen (Napoli) was awarded the title of African Footballer of the Year 2023 at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) awards ceremony in Morocco. The 24-year-old striker scored 26 goals in 32 appearances, helping Napoli win their first Serie A title in 33 years.

Victor Osimhen beat off a host of other heavyweights including defender Archaf Hakimi and striker Mohamed Salah to win the title of African Men's Footballer of the Year in 2023. Although he was unable to help Nigeria qualify for the World Cup finals, the 24-year-old contributed greatly to Napoli's first Italian title in 33 years. Osimhen also performed brilliantly in the tournament, scoring 26 goals to win the top scorer title.

Victor Osimhen also became the first Nigerian player to win the title since Nwankwo Kanu in 1999. Photo Internet.

Meanwhile, with the achievement of fourth place at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, individuals of the Moroccan national team were also honored. Coach Walid Regragui won the Coach of the Year award, and Vaccine Bonou became the best goalkeeper of the year.

With his excellent performance last season, Osimhen surpassed Achraf Hakimi (PSG Club - Morocco team) and Mohamed Salah (Liverpool Club - Egypt team).

In 2023, Osimhen scored 27 goals for Napoli, including 21 last season, helping the Partenopei win Serie A for the first time in 33 years. This season, despite being injured in recent times, the striker has also scored 6 goals for the Naples team. At the national team level, the 24-year-old striker has scored 5 goals for Nigeria in 5 appearances this year.

This is the first time since 2010 that a Serie A player has won the African Player of the Year award. In 2010, Samuel Eto'o won the award while playing for Inter Milan. More than a decade later, the title of best player on the Black Continent has almost always belonged to the Premier League with familiar names such as Yaya Toure (Man City) and Mohamed Salah (Liverpool).

“It’s a dream come true,” the striker said. “I have to thank all those who have helped me on this journey and all the Africans who have put my name on the map despite my mistakes.”

At the 2023 Ballon d'Or ceremony, Osimhen became the first Nigerian player in history to be named in the top 10, finishing 8th overall. Osimhen is also the first Nigerian player to receive the African Player of the Year award since Arsenal's Nwankwo Kanu in 1999./.

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