Osimhen, Okocha Among 8 Nigerian Superstars Who Have Earned Ballon d’Or Nomination

• Victor Osimhen is the latest Nigerian player to earn a Ballon d'Or nomination
• Super Falcons striker, Asisat Oshoala is among those contending in the Women's category
• Jay Jay Okocha and Finidi George are among other Nigerian players who have been recognised in the category as well

Nigerian international, Victor Osimhen, who led Napoli to the Scudetto last season, has been nominated for this year's Ballon d'Or.

A list of 30 nominees was released on Wednesday, September 6, with Super Eagles star Victor Osimhen featuring in the men's category.

Super Falcons forward Asisat Oshoala made the list for the women's category, as Nigeria became the first African country to have nominees in both the female and male categories.

Osimhen and Oshoala are not the first Nigerians to be nominated for the prestigious award.

Below are 8 Nigerian superstars who have earned Ballon d'Or nominations.

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1. Finidi George - 1995

The former Real Betis winger was among the three Nigerians nominated for the Ballon d'Or award in 1995.

He earned his place on the list due to his performances with Ajax after they won the UEFA Champions League.

2. Daniel Amokachi - 1995

Just like Finidi, Amokachi also made the nominee list in 1995 after a good season with Premier League side Everton.

The Super Eagles' legend led the Toffees to an FA Cup triumph that season.

3. Austin Jay-Jay Okocha - 1995

Okocha was the third Nigerian to be nominated for the Ballon d'Or in 1995 while playing for Eintracht Frankfurt in the German Bundesliga.

He was impressive for the club, where he made 90 league appearances, scoring 18 goals in four seasons.

4. Nwankwo Kanu - 1996, 1999

The former Arsenal star was the first Nigerian to be nominated twice for the award. He was nominated in 1996 and 1999.

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Kanu earned his place on the list in 1996 after leading the Dream Team to gold in the men's football competition at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics.

The former Inter Milan player is still the highest-ranked Nigerian in the history of the Ballon d'Or.

5. Victor Ikpeba - 1997

The 'Prince of Monaco', as he is fondly called, made the list of nominees in 1997, a year in which he also won the African Footballer of the Year.

Ikpeba produced superb performances for Monaco in the French Ligue 1, where he scored 13 league goals and added another seven in the UEFA Cup (now known as the UEFA Europa League).

The former Nigerian international earned two votes and finished 32nd in the rankings.

6. Sunday Oliseh - 1998

The former Juventus midfielder earned a Ballon d'Or nomination in 1998 after a wonderful season with Ajax Amsterdam in the Eredivisie and also a good run with the Super Eagles at the FIFA World Cup in France.

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GOAL reports that the former Super Eagles captain had no votes.

7. Asisat Oshoala - 2022, 2023

The Super Falcons forward has been nominated for the award twice. She got her first nomination in 2022 and added another one in 2023.

Oshoala had a great season, with Barcelona winning the treble and also leading the Super Falcons to the round of 16 in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, which was hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

8. Victor Osimhen - 2023

The Nigerian striker made the nominees for the first time after having a blistering season with Italian Serie A side Napoli last season.

The former Lille striker justifies his inclusion in the list of nominees after he scored 26 goals to lead the Partenopei to the Serie A title for the first time in 33 years.

He added five more goals in the UEFA Champions League as the Italian side made the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time.

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Sports Brief previously took a look at why Lionel Messi will beat Erling Haaland to the 2023 edition of the coveted individual award, despite the Norwegian's stats.

The 2023 Ballon d'Or debate got into full swing following the conclusion of the European season after the Champions League final on June 10.

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