Osimhen, Oshoala, Nnadozie, and Abiodun emerge as finalists for CAF 2023 Awards

The final shortlist for the 2023 CAF Awards includes Nigeria’s quartet of Victor Osimhen, Asisat Oshoala, Chiamaka Nnadozie, and Deborah Abiodun.

In posts on its social media channels on Thursday, the African football governing body announced the finalists for the CAF awards, which are scheduled to take place in Morocco on Monday.

Osimhen, a forward for Egyptian team Liverpool, and Achraf Hakimi of PSG, who was a part of Morocco’s spectacular World Cup run in Qatar late last year, will square off against each other. Osimhen plays for Napoli in the Italian Serie A.

Osimhen is in the lead to win the prized award after becoming the first African to earn the highest goalscorer gong in the Italian Serie A, despite facing off against Hakimi, who helped Morocco reach the World Cup semifinals, a first on the continent, and Salah, who was in excellent form for Liverpool last year.

His goals were crucial in helping Napoli win their first Scudetto championship in thirty-three years. The former Lille player, who placed ninth in the 2023 Ballon d’Or, was also the highest-ranked African.

Oshoala, a fellow countrywoman of Osimhen, is poised to win the sixth and record-breaking CAF Women’s Player of the Year award in the women’s division. The Barcelona Femeni standout was a member of the squad that won the treble the previous year. In the FIFA Women’s World Cup earlier in the year, she also managed one goal to help the Super Falcons advance to the round of 16.

But Thembi Kgatlana of South Africa, Barbara Banda of Zambia, and Racing Louisville present fierce rivals for the Nigerian.

Falcons Super Along with Andile Dlamini (South Africa, Mamelodi Sundowns) and Khadija Er-Rmichi of Morocco, Chiamaka Nnadozie of Paris FC is vying for Keeper of the Year (Women).

Another Nigerian, Deborah Abiodun, is the recipient of the Young Player of the Year (Women) award. Despite only participating in one of the team’s four World Cup matches, the Pittsburgh Panthers midfielder has emerged as one of the continent’s rising stars in recent years. At the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2023, she made an appearance for Nigeria.

In the running for Women’s Team of the Year is the Super Falcons.