Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen has been named among the final 10 nominees for the 2025 CAF Men’s Player of the Year award, Footynaija.com reports.
The list of this year’s nominees for the prestigious individual honour was announced by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Wednesday.
Osimhen, who won the award in 2023, is Nigeria’s sole contender on a list featuring Egypt’s Mohamed Salah and Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi. Last year’s winner, Ademola Lookman, was notably left out.
While PSG defender Hakimi will be favourite to claim the award for the first time, Liverpool forward Salah will likely be in contention to reclaim the honour he won in 2017 and 2018.
Salah was instrumental in Liverpool’s Premier League triumph, finishing as both top scorer and assist leader with 29 goals and 18 assists.
Hakimi also impressed for Paris Saint-Germain, contributing nine goals and 14 assists as the club won a historic quadruple, including the UEFA Champions League.
Osimhen will, however, not be a pushover.
The Super Eagles striker enjoyed a prolific season in Turkey, scoring 37 goals and providing eight assists to help Galatasaray secure a domestic double and claim the Turkish Süper Lig Player of the Season award.
Other nominees for the award include Serhou Guirassy, Frank Anguissa, Denis Bouanga, Fiston Mayele, Pape Matar Sarr, Iliman Ndiaye, and Ousmane Lamloui. Morocco and Senegal lead with two representatives each.
The winner will be decided later this year, with the race expected to be one of the closest in recent memory, balancing goals, trophies, and all-round impact.
