Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen has been nominated for the 2023 Ballon d’Or award, becoming one of the few players from the country to have achieved the feat.
The Napoli striker was in impeccable form last season, helping the Italian side win their first Scudetto in 33 years.
He is the first Nigerian to be nominated for the prize in 24 years. Kanu Nwankwo was the last to earn that feat.
Here is the last part of the 2023 Ballon d'Or nominees…
🇰🇷 Kim Min-jae
🇫🇷 @KMbappe
🏴 @HKane #ballondor pic.twitter.com/cV1aeo6Zr3
— Ballon d'Or (@ballondor) September 6, 2023
The organisers of the award, French Football, confirmed his nomination Wednesday night.
Osimhen scored 25 league goals last season, beating out Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez and AC Milan’s Rafael Leao to be named Serie A’s Best Striker.
He also assisted the club in reaching the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals and securing a place to the postponed 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The achievement made the 24-year-old footballer the first African to top the Serie A scorers’ chart.
With this performance, he also beat George Weah’s record for the most goals scored by an African in the Italian league.
Previously, his colleague Asisat Oshoala was named among the nominees for the award’s women’s category. The achievement is the second in a row for the Barcelona Femeni star, who made history as the first African to make the list last year.
The former Arsenal player won the Primera Division, the Supercopa de Espana Femenina, and the Champions League in an unprecedented treble.
She, 28, scored 21 goals in the domestic league to finish as Spain’s joint top scorer. Her achievements were swiftly followed by a round of 16 appearance with the Super Falcons at the just concluded Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Women’s 2023 Ballon d’Or Nominees
Here is a list of nominees for the 2023 Women’s Ballon d’Or:
Khadija Shaw (Man City)
Mapi Leon (Barcelona)
Mary Earps (Man United)
Asisat Oshoala (Barcelona)
Wendie Renard (Lyon)
Katie Mccabe (Arsenal)
Jill Roord (Wolfsburg and Man City)
Yui Hasegawa (Man City)
Alexandra Popp (Wolfsburg)
Aitana Bonmati (Barcelona)
Debinha (Kansas City)
Sam Kerr (Chelsea)
Reiten (Chelsea)
Ewa Pajor (Wolfsburg)
Patricia Guijarro (Barcelona)
Daphne Van Domselaar (Twente and Aston Villa)
Lena Oberdorf (Wolfsburg)
Hinata Miyazawa (MyNavi Sendai and Man United)
Millie Bright(Chelsea)
Salma Paralluelo (Barcelona)
Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns)
Hayley Raso (Man City and Real Madrid)
Amanda Ilestedt (PSG and Arsenal)
Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich)
Olga Ramona (Real Madrid)
Fridolina Rolfo (Barcelona)
Rachel Daly (Aston Villa)
Alba Redondo (Levante)
Linda Caicedo (Real Madrid)
Kadidiatou Diani (Lyon)
