Victor Osimhen of Nigeria has been named African Men’s Footballer of the Year, while his countryman, Asisato Oshoala of Barcelona, has won the Women’s Football Player of the Year award.
Osimhen was the top scorer in Serie A with 26 goals as Napoli ended a 33-year drought by winning the league title last season. The other nominees were Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah and PSG’s Moroccan right-back Achraf Hakimi.
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“It is a dream come true,” the 24-year-old Osimhen said at the ceremony in Marrakech, Morocco. “I have to thank everybody who has helped me on this journey, and all Africans who have helped to put me on the map despite my faults.”
Nigerian players had not won the award since 1999, when it was awarded to a Nigerian forward Nwankwo Kanu. Sadio Mane of Senegal has won in previous two ocassions, in 2019 and 2022. Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o and Ivory Coast’s Yaya Toure are the only African players to have won the award four times.
After Morocco’s dramatic run to the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar, the Moroccan national team was named National Team of the year in the men’s category and their coach Walid Regragui was named Coach of the Year.
Oshoala won the African Women’s Player of the Year award for a record-breaking sixth time. She recovered from injury to lead Nigeria to the last 16 of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, losing to England in a penalty shoot-out. In their 3-2 win over Australia in the group stage, Oshoala found the net, becoming rh only player in the Nigeria team to score in three consecutive World Cups.
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