Victor Osimhen Becomes First Nigerian Nominated for Ballon d’Or and FIFA the Best Award In Same Year

• Victor Osimhen has been nominated for the prestigious 2023 The Best FIFA Football Award
• The 24-year-old becomes the first-ever Nigerian footballer to receive such recognition in a year
• He scored 26 league goals last season to help Napoli win the Serie A title for the first time in more than three decades

Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen has been recognised on the global stage once again, having earned a nomination for the prestigious 2023 The Best FIFA Football Award.

On Thursday, September 14, the world’s football governing body unveiled the list of nominees for this year’s award and the Napoli striker was included.

This comes after his 26 league goals helped Napoli clinch the Italian Serie A title last season. His ten goals have also helped Nigeria seal their qualification to the 2023 AFCON tournament, which starts in January.

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It is the first time that a Nigerian player will be up for the Ballon d’Or and FIFA The Best Award in the same year, Channels TV reports.

The Best FIFA Football Awards is an annual football gala organized and presented by FIFA. Held in Zürich, Switzerland, the ceremony celebrates the best in football, recognizing outstanding players, coaches, and teams worldwide.

On the other hand, Diario reports that the Ballon d'Or is an annual football award presented by French news magazine France Football since 1956.

The Best FIFA Nominees 2023

1. Julian Alvarez – Argentina
2. Marcelo Brozovic – Croatia
3. Kevin De Bruyne – Belgium
4. Ilkay Gundogan – Germany
5. Erling Haaland – Norway
6. Rodri – Spain
7. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – Georgia
8. Kylian Mbappe – France
9. Lionel Messi – Argentina
10. Victor Osimhen – Nigeria
11. Declan Rice – England
12. Bernardo Silva – Portugal

Osimhen still on Chelsea’s radar

Sports Brief earlier reported that English Premier League side Chelsea are planning on prizing Super Eagles star Victor Osimhen away from Napoli next summer.

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The Nigeria international has been on the radar of top sides in Europe, due to his exploits with Serie A side Napoli since joining them from French Ligue 1 side Lille.

The Blues are currently in search of a decent striker, as their investment in Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku has failed to yield early results at the start of this season.