Osimhen Makes FIFA Best Footballer Award Shortlist

Super Eagles and Napoli striker, Victor Osimhen has been nominated for the 2023  Best FIFA Football Awards.

The football governing body FIFA released the list of the nominees on Thursday.

24-year-old Osimhen played a crucial role in Napoli’s lifting of the Scudetto last season for the first time in 33-years.

He scored 26 goals in 32 league appearances for the Partenopei in there Scudetto winning season.

The nomination is the second for the outstanding Nigerian striker who only last week was nominated for the 2023 Ballon d’Or award.

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Osimhen is the only African who made the shortlist.

Also nominated for the Best FIFA Footballer awards is the current holder, Lionel Messi who recently moved to USA side Inter Miami CF from Paris Saint-Germain .

Others nominated alongside the Super Eagles striker are: Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, and Kylian Mbappe, Julian Alvarez, Marcelo Brozovic, İlkay Gundogan, Rodri; Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Declan Rice and Bernardo Silva.

Osimhen is the first Nigerian player to be listed for the FIFA Best Footballer Award which was created in 2016 and first won by Cristiano Ronaldo.

Some high profile names like Portuguese and Al Nassr striker, Cristiano Ronaldo were missing in the list of nominees released on Thursday.