Former Arsenal and Togo striker, Emmanuel Adebayor wants Napoli and Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen to win the 2023 CAF Player of the Year award.
Last season, Victor Osimhen scored 26 goals and provided five assists in 32 games as he helped Napoli to win the Italian Seria A title for the first time in 33 years.
Also, Osimhen who won best striker in Serie A and also won the league’s golden boot, helped the Super Eagles of Nigeria to qualify for the 2023 AFCON which will kick off in Ivory Coast from January 2024.
To win the Africa player of the year this year, Victor Osimhen would have to compete with Algerian forward Riyad Mahrez who helped Manchester City to win the Champions League, Premier League, and the FA Cup last season.
Another contender for the award is Youssef En-Nesyri of Morocco who helped his country to become the first country in Africa to reach the semi-final stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He also helped his club, Sevilla to win the Europa League.
Even though Osimhen has these two big achievers to contend with for the award, Emmanuel Adebayor, the 2008 winner of the award, believes the 24-year-old Nigeria international should win it.
“It’s very simple, we have seen the season, and for me if you ask me who deserves the 2023 African Player of the Year award, its Osimhen, because of what he has done with Napoli, scoring in all the biggest games in Italy and also winning the Scudetto”, the former Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham, and Real Madrid player told the BBC.
“He has done quite well, who is there (to challenge Osimhen) Sadio Mane was injured and had a difficult season, Mohamed Salah had one of the worst seasons in his career, there’s the guy from Cameroon Zambo Anguissa but the star player in Napoli is Osimhen. If you ask me to vote and I am given 10 votes I will give 12 to Osimhen for the 2023 African Player of the Year.”
If Victor Osimhen manages to win the African Player of the Year award this year, he will become the first Nigerian to win the award since 1999 when Nwankwo Kanu won it.
