The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has convened to draw up their shortlist for their prestigious African Player of the Year Award – with a Super Eagle getting the nod.

Victor Osimhen’s prolific 2022/23 season saw his club side Napoli end their long wait for the Italian Serie A title, and now the striker is hoping to end another hoodoo – being the first Nigerian to win the CAF award since Nwankwo Kanu in 1999.

Can the man from Lagos get the nod ahead of Mo Salah and Achraf Hakimi?

Goal-den Boy

Given that neither Salah nor Hakimi have had a huge amount of success on the pitch in 2023, there’s surely a case to be made for Osimhen to get the nod.

He was the top African player in the prestigious European Golden Boot rankings in 2022/23, finishing fractionally behind the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane, with Salah not even featuring inside the top ten.

The Nigerian won the Serie A title and was also named as the league’s best player, while he remains incredibly well respected by his peers too – finishing as the highest-ranked African player in the 2023 Ballon d’Or voting.

Those interested in wagering on football will have noticed that Napoli have not enjoyed as much success in 2023/24 so far, which could impact Osimhen’s chances. But there’s more intrigue about them now that club legend Walter Mazzarri has been appointed as head coach, so there will be those backing the Naples outfit to at least finish inside the top four.

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The speed of Victor Osimhen cannot be questioned… can he race to the CAF Player of the Year Award?

What is the CAF Player of the Year Award?

For a long time, there was confusion regarding the African Player of the Year Award, with three different trophies handed out.

France Football, who govern the Ballon d’Or, had theirs up until 1994, while the Afrique Football Award (also known as the Etoile d’Or) was handed out up until 2003.

But consistent from 1992 has been CAF’s own version of the trophy, which today is the exclusive award presented to the best player of African descent from the prior year.

The greats of the contemporary game have got their hands on the award, including the Nigerian quartet of Rashidi Yekini, Victor Ikpeba, Emmanuel Amunike and Kanu.

But there’s been a dearth of Super Eagles collecting the silverware since the dawn of the new millennium, with a diverse selection of talents from Salah and Sadio Mane to Riyad Mahrez, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Yaya Toure all having their name etched onto the trophy.

Who will join them in 2023?