Nigerian and Napoli striker Victor Osimhen crowned a stellar 2023 by winning the CAF Men’s Player of the Year on Monday night in Marrakech, Morocco, ahead of Egypt’s Mohammed Salah and Moroccan Achraf Hakimi.
Osimhen’s compatriot, Super Falcons and Barcelona forward, Asisat Oshoala, won the CAF Women’s Player of the Year for a record-extending sixth time at the CAF Awards. She beat South Africa’s Thembi Kgatlana and Zambia’s Barbra Banda to claim the award.
Oshoala inspired Barcelona to their second UEFA Women’s Champions League trophy and finished as the club’s top scorer with 27 goals across all competitions.
Last week, Osimhen won the Italian Footballers’ Association (AIC) Player of the Year award for the 2022/2023 Serie A season, having led Napoli to their first Scudetto (title) in over 30 years. He also finished the season as the highest goal scorer with 26 goals.
In November, the 24-year-old Nigerian was ranked number 8 in the 2023 Ballon d’Or award, which was won by Lionel Messi.
The Super Eagles’ striker is the first Nigerian to win the coveted award in 24 years.
Kanu Nwankwo was the last Nigerian to win it back in 1999, three years after he had won it in 1996. Rashidi Yekini, Emmanuel Amuneke, and Victor Ikpeba also won the award in 1993, 1994 and 1997 respectively.
At the CAF Awards 2023, Super Falcons’ Chiamaka Nnadozie was also named the CAF Goalkeeper of the Year (Women) mainly for her stellar showing at the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in Australia and New Zealand, where the Falcons reached the Round of 16.
Morocco’s Yassine Bounou won the CAF Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year.
Similarly, Walid Regragui was crowned CAF’s Best Coach of the Year in the Men’s category, for guiding Morocco’s Atlas Lions to a historic World Cup semi-final showing in Qatar, with Bounou’s goalkeeping heroics crucial to their run.
In the women’s category, South Africa’s Desiree Ellis won the Best Coach award for a record fourth time for her superlative work with Banyana Banyana.
This year’s CAF Awards held in Marrakech, Morocco.
