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Osimhen Crowned Africa’s Best By Football Experts

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Victor Osimhen
Victor Osimhen

The poll for the 2023 African Footballer of the Year by the Confederation of African Football (CAFF) is still months away but some experts already posited that Osimhen has done enough to join the exclusive list of Nigerians to be so crowned as Africa’s best, writes MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN:

Nigeria international striker Victor Osimhen may have earned the coveted African Footballer of the Year crown after his goals led Napoli to their first Italian Serie A title since the Diego Maradona era in the 1989/1990 season.

This is the aggregate opinion of some leading African football followers on the continent with a motley crowd already rooting for the 24-year-old Nigerian striker who is currently the most demanding striker in this summer’s transfer window.

The poll for the 2023 African Footballer of the Year by the Confederation of African Football (CAFF) is still months away but some experts already posited that Osimhen have done enough to join the exclusive list of Nigerians to be so crowned as Africa’s best.

In a ground-breaking season with Napoli, Osimhen who is now heavily linked with a big move to the Premier League, featured 32 times for the Italian giants, scoring 26 goals to become the first African to win the Serie A top scorer award.

In February, Osimhen scored his 100th career goal and also became the first ever player in the history of Napoli in the three-point era to score in seven league games in a row. Last month, he broke the long existing records of both Samuel Eto’o (as the African player with the most goals in a single Italian championship season) and George Weah (as the African player with most goals in the Serie A with 47 goals) among other accolades in a storied season.

“Concerning your question (as the best African player good enough to win the African Footballer of the Year), I think there is only one African player that did more than impressed me but rather, he convinced me with his performances and that is Victor Osimhen,” Beninese journalist and a veteran of many African Cup of Nations, Elvis Dedjinou Zanclan , told NationSport. “He deserves to be crowned African Footballer of the year.”

One other player that was highly referenced in the mini-poll conducted by our correspondent was Cameroon International goalkeeper, Andrea Onana who took Inter Milan within an ear shot of winning the UEFA Champions League until last Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Manchester City.

But Onana’s compatriots have divided opinions on whether the goal-minder is good enough to be crowned Africa’s best.

“The best African player for me is Andre Onana of Inter Milan,” noted vastly experienced photo journalist, Happi Mbiele.

But Elizabeth Mosima of the influential Cameroon Tribune would rather pitched with Osimhen, saying no African has done what Osimhen did for Napoli this season: “I believe Nigerian goal poacher Victor James Osimhen plying his trade in the Italian Serie A league, stands now to be given the Africa’s golden crown after his scintillating performance notably his 26 goals in 32 matches this season.”

Incidentally, both Osimhen as well as Algeria international striker Riyad Mahrez who played pivotal role in helping Manchester City to win their Holy Grail of the UEFA Champions League with the defeat of Inter Milan last Saturday, caught the fancy of two African football experts from Uganda.

While the communication manager of Federation of Uganda Football Association (FUFA), Ahmed Hassan put Osimhen ahead of Mahrez, TV sports personality and a pundit on the lively NTV Sport Knights, Andrew Mwanguhya thinks the opposite.

“My choice is as follows: Victor Osimhen and then Riyad Mahrez,” Hassan said briefly.

But Mwanguhya who also writes for the Ugandan Newspaper, Daily Monitor was more forthcoming:

“What he (Osimhen) did to help Napoli do what they last did with Maradona is one of the stories of immortality. The scope of Napoli’s achievement and Osimhen’s role in it makes a richer human interest story,” he crooned. “However, Riyad Mahrez’s role at Manchester city, never mind his disappointment of not contributing as he would have loved in the FA Cup and Champions League finals, has him up there

“Actually, I’m struggling between Osimhen and Mahrez, but allow me change to Mahrez. I’ll go with Mahrez and Osimhen in that order.”

While the Osimhen vs Mahrez or Osimhen vs Onana debate would partly be in focus when the CAF annual poll is decided, Ivorian journalist Ouattara Gaoussou (OG) would rather ranked current Africa’s best players in this order.

“I have a ranking for you and in this order,” OG of Le Patriote told NationSport.“ First is Osimhen (Nigeria); second is Yassine Bounou (Maroc); third is Seko Fofana (Côte d’Ivoire); fourth is André Onana (Cameroun); the fifth is Sébastien Haller (Côte d’Ivoire) and the sixth is Mohamed Salah (Egypte)”

Yet for Niamey-based Malik Koudize and Antananarivo-based sports and communication consultant, Mirado Rakotoharimalala, it is the Nigeria’s Osimhen all the way.

“I’m running with Osimhen; for his performance in the Serie A and in the Champions League,” Rakotoharimalala , the self-style French-African, told NationSport. “He brought Napoli to the title and he (Osimhen) is the forward of the season in Italy.”

Across the Nigerian border in Niamey comes the voice of Koudize: “ For sure, my vote is for Osimhen. He was the key player for Napoli this season and he offered them the title.”

In a related development, Chelsea are reportedly on red alert after Osimhen drops major transfer hint following secret Napoli meeting.

According to Italian publication Il Matino, Osimhen is refusing to sign a new deal with Napoli after receiving offers from Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain. The report stated that his agent, Roberto Calenda, recently held a meeting with the club’s owner, Aurelio de Laurentiis, regarding his client’s future.

Following Napoli’s draw with Bologna last month, Luciano Spalletti was quizzed on the Nigerian’s future by DAZN. As quoted by Football Italia, the former Napoli boss said: “When players start working in a certain way, you identify their characteristics and find paths to give them service.

“Osimhen is good in open spaces, in the air, with the ball passed to his feet. He will have an important future, no matter what team he plays in, and is above all a good lad too.

“His teammates love him, he helps them out and resolves situations rather than complains. He will become even more of a top player in future.”

Where that future lies ahead for Osimhen yet remains to be seen until the summer transfer window is closed in September.

Credit: thenationonlineng.net

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