Gift Orban: Super Eagles Striker to Battle Ex Barca Star for CAF Young Player of the Year Award

• Gift Orban has been nominated for the CAF Young Player of the Year for 2023
• The Gent striker will battle a former Barcelona star for the award in December
• Senegal has dominated the list with four young players receiving nominations

Super Eagles star, Gift Orban has been nominated alongside nine other African football prospects for the CAF Young Player of the Year for 2023.

The Nigerian striker has been in sensational form since he joined Belgian Pro League club, KAA Gent from Norwegian outfit, Staebek.

The Super Eagles striker has scored 27 goals in all competitions since joining the Belgian outfit in January.

Africa's football governing body, CAF released the list of 10 nominees for the Young Player of the Year on their official page on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday morning, according to Complete Sports.

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Orban will take on former Barcelona star, Abdessamad 'Ez Abde' Ezzalzouli, as well as Ghanaian star, Ernest Nuamah, who is also up for the award.

Others nominated are Burkina Faso's Dango Quatarra and Souleymane Alio, Senegal's Pape Diop, Lamine Camara, Amara Diouf and Pape Amadou Diallo, and Morocco’s Bilal El Khannouss.

Orban, a former Staebek striker, is one of the favourites to win the award but will face stiff competition from Abde after his wonderful performance while on loan at Osasuna last season and for the Moroccan under-23 side.

The Moroccan led the Spanish side to the Copa del Rey final last season where they lost to eventual winners, Real Madrid courtesy of a brace from Rodrygo de Goes.

Orban sings 'Last Last' during Nigeria initiation

Sports Brief previously reported on Orban hilariously performing 'Last Last' by Burna Boy during his formal initiation into the Nigerian national team earlier this year.

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The Belgium-based striker earned his first invite to the Super Eagles ahead of the final 2023 AFCON qualifier against Sao Tome and Principe in the country's Uyo state.

In a video that went viral on social media, Orban left his teammates in utter delirium as he tried to sing the hit song by the Grammy award-winning Nigerian musician.