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Super Eagles and Napoli striker Victor Osimhen has been nominated for the 2023 Ballon d’Or award.
Osimhen was in blistering form last season, as his 25 league goals were instrumental in getting Napoli their first Seria A title in 33 years. He beat off stiff competition from Lautaro Martinez of Inter Milan and AC Milan’s Rafael Leao to scoop the Best Striker in Serie A gong.
He also helped the team reach the quarterfinal stages of the UEFA Champions League and was in inspiring form as the Super Eagles sealed a ticket for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). His league goals helped him become the first African to top the Serie A scorers’ chart and break George Weah’s record for the most goals scored by an African in the Italian league.
Victor Osimhen is the first Nigerian to be nominated in the male category in 24 years. Kanu Nwankwo was the last Super Eagle to earn a nomination.
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Earlier on in the Wednesday event, Super Falcons and FC Barcelona Femeni hotshot Asisat Oshoala earned her second Ballon d’Or nomination in two years. Asisat was the first African woman to be nominated in the female category in 2022.
Asisat Oshoala was the top scorer in the Spanish Primera Division, scoring 21 league goals. She won the Primera Division title, the Supercopa de Espana Femenina, and the Champions League. The former Arsenal striker was instrumental as the Super Falcons gracefully bowed out in the Round of 16 at the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
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Arsenal and England winger of Nigerian descent Bukayo Saka was also named in the Ballon d’Or 30-man shortlist. The winger bagged 15 goals and 11 assists in the English Premiership last season. He was instrumental in Arsenal’s second-place finish last season and their subsequent qualification for the UEFA Champions League.
Saka was recently crowned the PFA Young Player of the Year for 2022–23 for his wonderful performances at the 2022 World Cup, where he scored three goals during England’s run to the quarter-finals. He also won the England Player of the Year award for the second straight season.
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The winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on October 30.
Here is a list of nominees for the 2023 Men’s Ballon d’Or:
Josko Gvardiol (Manchester City)
Andre Onana (Manchester United)
Karim Benzema (Al Ittihad)
Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich)
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
Randal Kolo Muani (Paris Saint-Germain)
Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli)
Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
Nicola Barella (Inter Milan)
Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
Yassine Bounou (Al Hilal)
Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
Julian Alvarez (Manchester City)
Ilkay Gundogan (Barcelona)
Vinicius Jr. (Real Madrid)
Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)
Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
Rodri (Barcelona)
Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-German)
Kim Min-Jae (Bayern Munich)
Victor Osimhen (Napoli)
Luka Modric (Real Madrid)
Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
Here is a list of nominees for the 2023 Women’s Ballon d’Or:
Khadija Shaw (Man City)
Mapi Leon (Barcelona)
Mary Earps (Manchester United)
Asisat Oshoala (Barcelona)
Wendie Renard (Lyon)
Katie Mccabe (Arsenal)
Jill Roord (Wolfsburg and Manchester City)
Yui Hasegawa (Man City)
Alexandra Popp (Wolfsburg)
Aitana Bonmati (Barcelona)
Debinha (Kansas City)
Sam Kerr (Chelsea)
Guro Reiten (Chelsea)
Ewa Pajor (Wolfsburg)
Patricia Guijarro (Barcelona)
Daphne Van Domselaar (Twente and Aston Villa)
Lena Oberdorf (Wolfsburg)
Hinata Miyazawa (MyNavi Sendai and Manchester United)
Millie Bright(Chelsea)
Salma Paralluelo (Barcelona)
Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns)
Hayley Raso (Man City and Real Madrid)
Amanda Ilestedt (PSG and Arsenal)
Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich)
Olga Ramona (Real Madrid)
Fridolina Rolfo (Barcelona)
Rachel Daly (Aston Villa)
Alba Redondo (Levante)
Linda Caicedo (Real Madrid)
Kadidiatou Diani (Lyon)
Photo Credit: France Football
The post Victor Osimhen, Asisat Oshoala & Bukayo Saka Nominated for 2023 Ballon d’Or | See Full List appeared first on BellaNaija – Showcasing Africa to the world. Read today!.
