Victor Osimhen: Napoli star to battle Messi, Mbappe, Haaland for FIFA Best award

Osimhen has had a tremendous year, and the nominations have been piling up 

Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has been nominated alongside eleven others for the Best FIFA Men’s Player of the Year, Soccernet reports.

Osimhen has been phenomenal for the last two years. However, he hit a whole new level last season. The 24-year-old Nigerian hitman inspired Napoli to their first Scudetto in 33 years after netting 26 goals in the Serie A. His goal haul made him the highest-scoring African player in the Italian top-flight.

Osimhen also scored five goals in the UEFA Champions League to help Napoli to a quarterfinal finish, which was their best ever. On the international scene, the former Lille man has also proven to be dependable. Osimhen finished on top of the goalscoring charts for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

His brilliance has earned him a lot of applause. He is currently a top contender for the CAF Player of the Year award. Also, the Super Eagles striker is a candidate for the Balon d’Or.

On Thursday, the world football governing body FIFA revealed their shortlist for the Player of the Year award, and Osimhen made the cut.

The other players that were nominated are: Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Declan Rice, Erling Haaland, Rodrigo(Manchester City), Julian Alvarez, Marcelo Brozovic, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Bernardo Silva.

The individual awards at the FIFA Awards are voted for by four groups: fans, national team managers, national team captains and media representatives.

The qualifying period for the men’s awards was between 19 December 2022 to 20 August 2023.