With the 2023 CAF Awards set to take place in Morocco tonight, the eagerly anticipated CAF Men's Footballer of the Year award is arguably a two-horse race between two top performers!
It has been more than three decades since the first-ever CAF African Player of the Year award was handed out back in 1992. Ghana legend Abedi Pele was the first recipient of the esteemed individual prize, but perhaps surprisingly, no Ghanaian has won it again to this date. Samuel Eto'o and Yaya Toure are the most decorated winners of the accolade, with both of them having claimed the accolade a remarkable four times.
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The trophy certainly holds significant prestige, with icons such as Didier Drogba of the Ivory Coast and ex-Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor have also held it aloft, while more recent names such as Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have also been crowned as the continent's best star.
A new winner could be expected this year, though, with the final nominees including Morocco's Achraf Hakimi and arguable favourite, Victor Osimhen. However, Liverpool star Salah could make a compelling case against the tall Nigerian centre-forward after yet another outstanding individual season.
The case of Osimhen
The 2022/23 campaign will go down as one of Osimhen's finest moments of his career after he guided Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years. The last player to almost single-handedly lead the Italian outfit to the Scudetto was none other than Argentine icon Diego Maradona. Osimhen's prolific form has since made him one of the most sought-after strikers in the world and his value has risen dramatically as he is now estimated to be worth a staggering €120 million (R2.4 billion) by Transfermarkt.
Last term, he registered 31 goals and five assists in 39 matches in all competitions, earning himself an eighth-place finish at the 2023 Ballon d'Or awards, above the likes of other sharp-shooters such as Salah, Robert Lewandowski, and Karim Benzema. His performances for Napoli have been quite monumental, with his goals helping the team to the quarter-finals of the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League too, the club's highest-ever finish in the competition. His impact has been largely felt by those in Naples as he has etched his name in city's history alongside greats such as Maradona. With reports suggesting that several top European sides are keen on his signature, he is expected to become the most expensive African transfer in history should a move be brokered any time soon. In terms of genuine individual success, no one can make a case quite like Osimhen during the period in question.
The case of Salah
Despite Liverpool failing to win any trophy in the 2022/23 campaign, their leading marksman Salah was one of the side's few bright sparks as he enjoyed yet another prolific campaign. While his lack of silverware last term hinders his chances, the 31-year-old had more goal involvements than Osimhen with 30 strikes and 16 assists in all competitions. This was enough to secure him another Ballon d'Or nomination, his fifth consecutive such nomination. The Egypt star also claimed a few milestones along the way; he now holds the record for the most goals scored for a single English club in major European competition, beating the record previously set by Thierry Henry at Arsenal. Earlier this year, he also broke the Premier League record for the most left-footed goals, replacing Robbie Fowler at the top.
Should Salah clinch the prize on Monday night, it will be his third CAF Men's Footballer of the Year award, which would make him the joint-third-most successful footballer from the continent, alongside Abedi Pele and George Weah, who won the famous accolade three times, and behind only Samuel Eto'o and Yaya Toure (they both won it four times).
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