Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala were top winners at the CAF Awards held in Marrakech last night,winning the CAF African Player of the Year awards in both the Men and Women’s categories. This achievement marked a groundbreaking and historic moment simultaneously. Remarkably, this was the second instance in which one country won both the African Player of the Year awards for Male and Female categories, with Nigeria being the first in 1999 when Kanu Nwankwo and Mercy Akide claimed the honors.
Following an exceptional season with Napoli where he scored 26 goals in 32 appearances, including the decisive goal that secured the Scudetto in May, Victor Osimhen emerged as the clear favorite for the award well before the ceremony. Born on the streets of Olusosun in Lagos, Nigeria, Osimhen’s noteworthy feat of scoring five goals in four Africa Cup of Nations (AFCONfcon) qualification matches played a crucial role in Nigeria’s qualification for the Nations Cup in Ivory Coast. Consequently, he ended the 24-year wait for a Nigerian man to win the African Player of the Year award, becoming the fifth player in the country’s football history to achieve this feat, joining Rashidi Yekini in 1993, Emmanuel Amuneke in 1994, Victor Ikpeba in 1997, and Nwankwo Kanu in 1996 and 1999.
Osimhen, who had previously won the silver boot award at the U17 World Cup in 2015 after scoring 10 goals for the Nigerian cadet team, seemed to be fulfilling his prophetic destiny of greatness, ultimately holding the keys to African football royalty.
Fondly known as “Agba Baller, “Asisat Oshoala has once again bagged the women’s award, marking her sixth win in this category. The Barcelona star triumphed over competitors such as Thembi Kgatlana from South Africa and Barbra Banda from Zambia. Oshoala’s consistent excellence for Barcelona and her standout performance for the Super Falcons at the World Cup in Australia played a pivotal role in solidifying her position in the continent’s women’s game.
In her moving acceptance speech, Oshoala called for unity among Africans to reshape the narrative and conquer the Football world. She emphasized the importance of collaboration and teamwork, urging African football federations to work together to elevate the continent’s standing globally. Oshoala expressed optimism, drawing inspiration from the achievements of African national teams in the last men’s World Cup.
The other notable winners of the 2023 CAF Awards include:
– Coach of the Year (Men): Walid Regragui (Morocco)
– Coach of the Year (Women): Desiree Ellis (South Africa)
– National Team of the Year (Men): Morocco
– National Team of the Year (Women): Nigeria
– Goalkeeper of the Year (Men): Yassine Bounou (Al Hilal & Morocco)
– Goalkeeper of the Year (Women): Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC & Nigeria)
– Young Player of the Year (Women): Nesryne El Chad (Lille & Morocco)
– Young Player of the Year (Men): Lamine Camara (Metz & Senegal)
– Club of the Year (Women): Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
– Club of the Year (Men): Al Ahly (Egypt)
– Interclub Player of the Year (Women): Fatima Tagnaout (AS FAR & Morocco)
– Interclub Player of the Year (Men): Percy Tau (Al Ahly & South Africa)