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 a host of other heavyweights such as defender Archaf Hakimi and striker Mohamed Salah to win the title of best African male footballer in 2023. Although he could not help Nigeria qualify for the World Cup finals, the 24-year-old player made a great contribution to helping Napoli win the Italian championship for the first time in 33 years. Osimhen also performed excellently in the tournament with 26 goals to win the title of top scorer.

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 in the 2022 Qatar 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 Partenopei win Serie A for the first time in 33 years. This season, despite being injured in the past period, 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 in the Black continent has almost always belonged to the Premier League with familiar names such as Yaya Toure (Man City) or Mohamed Salah (Liverpool).

“It is 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 helped me put my name on the map despite my mistakes.”

At the 2023 Ballon d'Or awards 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 Footballer of the Year award since Arsenal's Nwankwo Kanu in 1999./.

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