The NFF have said they are proud of the nominations of Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala for the 2023 Ballon d’Or.
Osimhen and Oshoala made the short list of 30 nominees for the men and women’s categories of the annual global award.
“We are indeed very proud of the nominations of our players Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala for the Ballon d’Or,” NFF General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi said in a congratulatory message.
“It is the first time that players from the same country are nominated for both male and female categories, and this makes us proud.
“It also underscores the stellar careers that both players have at the moment, and we pray that God will continue to take them from glory to glory.”
He added: “These nominations will also, no doubt, encourage other Nigerian players everywhere to be pivotal for their clubs and also for the national team anytime they are on the international road.”
Oshoala has been pivotal for Spanish Club, Barcelona Feminine in the past two seasons, scoring a lot of goals as well as assists, and also scored a crucial goal for Nigeria against co-host nation Australia at the recent FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Osimhen, who scored 26 goals in the Italian Serie A last season to steer Napoli to their first Italian league title in 33 years, also scored five goals in the UEFA Champions League for his club to make it to the quarterfinals.
He is also the leading scorer in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with seven goals.
