Nigerian Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen and Super Falconets goal poacher Asisat Oshoala have been nominated for the 2023 Globe Soccer Awards in the Best Men’s and Women’s categories.
Osimhen won the Emerging Player of the Year in the 2022 edition of the Globe Soccer Awards for his excellent performance last season.
The Napoli striker finished 8th in the 2023 Ballon d’Or award to become the first Nigerian to make the top 10 of the Ballon d’Or voting and also made the final nomination for the 2023 CAF Best Men’s Player of the Year.
Osimhen, a 24-year-old, established himself as one of the top strikers in Europe as his impressive form last season helped Napoli clinch the Serie A title for the first time in 33 years.
Read also 2023 CAF Player Award: Osimhen makes top 10 nominees list
Osimhen bagged an incredible 31 goals in 39 matches across all competitions for Napoli last season,
Former Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema is the current award holder, but Cristiano Ronaldo has won it for a record six times.
Osimhen is one of the 30 players nominated for this year’s award and will face stiff competition from Argentina forward Lionel Messi, Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo, Jude Bellingham, Karim Benzema, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe for the prestigious Global Soccer Awards.
Other nominees include Erling Haaland, Rodri, Julian Alvarez, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, Andre Onana, Nicolo Barella, Robert Lewandowski, Vinicius Jnr, Antoine Griezmann, Kevin De Bruyne, Luka Modric, Mohamed Salah, Ederson, Kim Min-Jae, Jack Grealish, Yassine Bounou, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaar.
Also, Oshoala has been nominated for the Women’s Best Player award for the first time.
The Super Falcons star striker was part of the Barcelona Femeni side that won the UEFA Women’s Champions League last season.
Winners in the different categories will be announced at a Gala event on January 19, 2024.
Other categories in this year’s award include Fans’ Favourite Player, Maradona Award, Best Men’s Club, Best Coach, Best Midfielder, Best Goalkeeper and Power Horse Emerging Player.
