On Monday in Marrekesh, Morocco, Nigeria football is set to celebrate a unique CAF Awards double when both Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala are named the best players of Africa.
This will be the first of many such awards for Osimhen, while Oshoala will extend her record of five CAF Awards as the best female player from the continent.
Despite the class showed by the likes of Thompson Usiyen, Muda Lawal and Segun Odegbami in the 70s and 80s, it was only in the 90s that Nigerian players enjoyed individual recognition on the international stage.
The legendary Rashidi Yekini was the first to scoop the continental individual accolade in 1993 in part on the back of his goals for Portuguese club Vitoria Setubal.
This was followed a year later by Emmanuel Amuneke after his heroics in both the 1994 AFCON and the 1994 World Cup.
The Nigerian dominance was extended in 1996, when the Dream Team became the first African team to win Olympic Gold and the poster boy of the history makers, Nwankwo Kanu, was crowned by CAF as Africa’s best player.
Victor Ikpeba was named Africa’s No 1 player in 1997 after his goals and great run with top French club AS Monaco.
Kanu bagged his second CAF top individual gong in 1999 on the back of his exploits with Premier League club Arsenal.
It was the last time a Nigerian player will stand on this podium.
The best of the best.
Player of the Year (MEN) award – Final 3.#CAFAwards2023 pic.twitter.com/s4CzceaejY— CAF (@CAF_Online) December 7, 2023
The stranglehold the Super Falcons enjoyed on the continent was also crowned by top individual honours for Perpetua Nkwocha and Mercy Akide.
Enter ‘Agba Baller’ Oshoala, who has since won the CAF Player of the Year a record five times – 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2022.
For 2023, the Barcelona Femeni star will be the hot favourite against South Africa’s Thembi Kgatlana and Barbara Banda from Zambia.
The top three nominees enjoyed a decent run at the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand as Nigeria and South Africa reached the knockout rounds.
Kgatlana also inspired Bayana Bayana to win their first-ever WAFCON in Morocco before she suffered an injury that sidelined her for several months.
Oshoala won a treble with Barcelona as well as picked up a second winners’ medal in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
These accomplishments ought to give her the edge in this contest.
Osimhen recorded a lot of firsts last season with his Italian club Napoli.
He became the first African to win the Goal King prize in Serie A thanks to his 26 goals as Napoli won the Scudetto for the first time since 1990.
He was also voted the Serie A Player of the Year and made the Team of the Year for the Italian championship.
With the Super Eagles, he finished top scorer of the 2023 AFCON qualifiers with 10 goals.
He has already been named as the best African player in the prestigious Ballon d’Or after he was ranked eighth.
Ashraf Hakimi will pose the biggest threat to the striker being named Africa’s best player for the outgoing year.
The defender won Ligue 1 title with PSG and was very much part of the Atlas Lions of Morocco who became the first African team to reach the semifinal of the World Cup.
Emmanuel Okala was the first in 1977or 1978. Kindly check records
There is no such record