It is an exciting time for Nigerian football as Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala have made the 2023 Ballon d’Or nomination list.
Osimhen’s impressive 31 goals for Napoli helped them secure their first Serie A title in 30 years, while Oshoala triumphed with Barcelona Femeni, winning the Women’s Champions League, Spanish League, and Spanish Supercopa. !
Osimhen’s nomination is particularly historic, as he became the first Nigerian since Nwankwo Kanu in 1999 to be recognized for this prestigious award. The men’s category is stacked with big names like Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, and Erling Haaland, making the competition fierce.
The 2023 Ballon d’Or nominees
Joško Gvardiol (Manchester City, Croatia), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich, Germany), André Onana (Manchester United, Cameroon), Karim Benzema (Al-Ittihad, France), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, Egypt), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal, England), Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City, Belgium), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid, England), Randal Kolo Muani (PSG, ) Bernardo Silva (Manchester City, Portugal), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli, Georgia), Nicolò Barella (Inter Milan, Italy), Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa, Argentine), Ruben Dias (Manchester City, Portugal), Martin Ødegaard (Arsenal, Norway), Ilkay Gündoğan (Barcelona, Germany), Yassine Bounou (Al-Hilal, Morocco), Julian Alvarez (Manchester City, Argentina), Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid, Brazil), Rodri (Manchester City, Spain), Antoine Griezmann (Atlético Madrid, France), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami, Argentina), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan, Argentina), Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona, Poland), Kim Min-Jae (Napoli, South Korea), Luka Modric (Real Madrid, Croatia), Kylian Mbappé (PSG, France), Victor Osimhen (Napoli, Nigeria), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich, England)
Women’s Category
Earlier, Osimhen’s compatriot Oshoala was listed among the nominees for the women’s category of the award. The former Robo Queens striker made history last year when she became the first African to make the list. Besides the historic treble, Oshola 21 goals in the domestic league to emerge as joint-top scorer in Spain. She also helped the Super Falcons reach the second round at the recently concluded Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The 2023 Women’s Ballon d’Or nominees
Kadidiatou Diani (Lyon, France), Linda Caicedo (Real Madrid, Colombia), Alba Redondo (Levante, Spain), Rachel Daly (Aston Villa, England), Fridolina Rolfö (Barcelona, Sweden), Olga Carmona (Real Madrid, Spain), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich, England), Amanda Ilestedt (Arsenal, Sweden), Hayley Raso (Real Madrid, Australia), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns, USA), Salma Paralluelo (Barcelona, Spain), Millie Bright (Chelsea, England), Hinata Miyazawa (Japan, MyNavi Sendai), Lena Oberdorf (Wolfsburg, Germany), Daphne van Domselaar (Aston Villa, Netherlands), Sam Kerr (Chelsea, Australia), Debinha (Kansas City, Brazil), Patricia Guijarro (Barcelona, Spain), Ewa Pajor (Wolfsburg, Germany), Guro Reiten (Chelsea, Norway), Aitana Bonmati (Barcelona, Spain), Alexandra Popp (Wolfsburg, Germany), Yui Hasegawa (Japan, Manchester City), Jill Roord (Manchester City, Netherlands), Katie McCabe (Arsenal, Ireland), Wendie Renard (Lyon, France), Asisat Oshoala (Barcelona, Nigeria), Mary Earps (Manchester United, England), Mapi Leon (Barcelona, Spain), Khadija Shaw (Manchester City, Jamaica)
The 2023 Ballon d’Or prize-giving ceremony will be held at Paris’ Théâtre du Châtelet on Monday, October 30th.
