FIFA Best Awards: Nigerian players back in global reckoning

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Victor Osimhen placed eighth in the Ballon d’Or final rankings in October 2023.

It was a reward after an incredible season in which Napoli won their first Scudetto in thirty-three years thanks to the Super Eagles talisman.

Osimhen finished as the leading scorer in Serie A after scoring 26 goals.

He made 49 appearances for Napoli in all competitions in 2022–2023 and finished with 28 goals and 10 assists.

It’s worth noting that Osimhen finished first among Africans, surpassing Egypt’s Mohammed Salah, who came in at number eleven.

Osimhen received the CAF Player of the Year award in December of last year.

The lone African to make the 30-man shortlist this year was Ademola Lookman of Atalanta.

Lookman finished as the fourteenth-best player in the Ballon d’Or gala on October 28.

The Nigerian quartet—Lookman, Paul Onuachu, William Troost-Ekong, and Asisat Oshoala—was nominated for the Best FIFA Awards 2024 on Thursday of this week.

Keep in mind that Super Eagles captain Troost-Ekong made the first shortlist of nominees for CAF Player of the Year and was awarded the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations’ Most Valuable Player.

Why, therefore, are Nigerian football players once again gaining attention on the continent and internationally?

“Yes, excellence. The truth is that excellence at the top level cannot be hidden,” Clinton McDubus, a top football analyst and podcaster, tells ZINGTIE.

“I do think they could be getting better recognised through branding. But, so far, their excellence has brought deserved recognition.

“It also helps that Nigerians are a big part of the global football social media landscape. We hype our own.

“As long as the players do their part by being excellent, Nigerians worldwide will carry their names forward.”

Is McDubus eager to emphasise that Lookman and Osimhen have elevated their game?

“Osimhen had flaws in his game while at Lille and in his early seasons at Napoli, even though he was already one of the best players around,” he said.

“It is clear that he worked on those flaws and bettered himself, ultimately entering the world class category and becoming the top five striker in the world that he currently is.

“Lookman, on his part, improved his shooting and a few other flaws in his game, taking on more responsibility and pushing himself under the tutelage of his coach.

“Now, both of these players are proving week in week out that they deserve all the hype and recognition.”

Next month, Lookman is the clear frontrunner to win the CAF Player of the Year award. It would be Nigeria’s second consecutive victory.

McDubus said: “I think it is great for Nigerian football.

“Finally, we are back on the map in terms of having world class players in our team. This is a validation of that.

“This also means that we need to take advantage of the talents we have at our disposal and win something.

“We cannot be having back-to-back CAF POTY winners and keep falling short. We are in the moment of another excellent generation.

“Perhaps, they can win something to fully make it a golden generation. We also must qualify for the World Cup. It would be embarrassing to have these players and miss out two times in a row.”

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