‘We’ve already got Osimhen’– CAF president predicts next Messi and Ronaldo to emerge from Africa

Napoli star, Victor Osimhen, was recently named the Confederation of African Football best player for the year 2023 following his impressive performance in the 2022-23 season

The President of the Confederation of African Football, Patrice Motsepe, predicts that the next global football legend will emerge from Africa, Soccernet.ng reports.

Former Barcelona star Lionel Messi and ex-Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo, renowned for their achievements over the last decade, have each won the Ballon d’Or more than three times, sparking ongoing debates about the greatest of all time.

Motsepe, in a press conference witnessed by Soccernet Nigeria, acknowledges the prominence of Super Eagles forward Victor Osimhen and other football stars like Mohamed Salah emerging from Africa.

He emphasizes the need for football development in Africa, predicting that the next Argentine striker and Portuguese forward will also arise from the continent.

“As long as football fans worldwide are excited about Mo Salah, Sadio Mane, Victor Osimhen, and others like [Achraf] Hakimi, we need to develop African football. The next [Lionel] Messi will come from Africa, and the next [Cristiano] Ronaldo is in Africa.”

”We’ve already got victor Osimhen, [Achraf] Hakimi, I don’t know, ‘where is Mbapped from?’” He said.

The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations tournament kicked off with Côte d’Ivoire securing a 2-0 victory over Guinea-Bissau at the Olympic Ebimpe Stadium.