Victor Osimhen continues to amass accolades, securing the Footballer of the Year title for 2023 at the AIC Oscar del Calcio Awards. Osimhen played a pivotal role in Napoli’s triumphant journey to their first Serie A title in 33 years, netting an impressive 26 league goals.
The 24-year-old Nigerian was announced as the 2022/23 Footballer of the Year via a tweet from the organizers of the Italian Footballers’ Association award ceremony on Monday night.
In addition to this individual honor, Osimhen also earned recognition in the Serie A Team of the Year, sharing the spotlight with teammates Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Kim Min-jae.
The distinguished list includes Andrea Bastoni, Theo Hernández, Rafael Leão, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Mike Maignan, Stanislav Lobotka, and Nicolo Barella.
This noteworthy achievement precedes the upcoming CAF awards, where Osimhen is poised to potentially become the first Nigerian player since Kanu Nwankwo in 1999 to clinch Africa’s top player prize.
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The ceremony is scheduled to take place in Marrakesh, Morocco. Notably, former Nigerian captains Mikel Obi and Vincent Enyeama came close to winning the award in 2013 and 2014, finishing second and third, respectively.
In October, Osimhen further solidified his standing in world football by securing the eighth position in the 2023 Ballon d’Or rankings, marking the highest placement for a Nigerian player since Kanu Nwankwo finished 11th in 1996.