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The full breakdown of votes cast at the 2025 CAF Awards has shed fresh light on how several Nigerian stars were assessed by coaches, captains, technical experts and journalists across the continent, footynaija.com reports.
Victor Osimhen, Chiamaka Nnadozie, Esther Okoronkwo and captain Rasheedat Ajibade were among the Nigerian stars who were nominated for awards in different categories.
The voting data, released by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) after the ceremony in Rabat, has revealed how Nigerian finalists fared in some of the most competitive awards.
The ceremony, held at the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University on 19 November, celebrated Africa’s standout performers, with Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi and Ghizlane Chebbak winning the men’s and women’s top prizes.
Nigeria still enjoyed key successes: Nnadozie collected her third consecutive Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year crown, while the Super Falcons were named Women’s National Team of the Year.
But beneath the headline achievements, the detailed voting reveals where Nigerian candidates gained decisive backing, and where they lost crucial points.
In the Men’s Player of the Year category, Osimhen finished third with 240 points, behind Hakimi (533) and Mohamed Salah (317). Nigeria’s national coach and captain both backed Osimhen as their top choice, ranking Hakimi second.
But not all Nigerian voices aligned.
Super Eagles icon Daniel Amokachi, voting as a CAF Technical Study Group member, surprisingly omitted Osimhen from his top three entirely, choosing Hakimi, André-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Salah. Other African journalists also split their votes away from the Napoli striker, contributing to the gap between him and the top two.
2 trophies | 10 goals | 12 assists in 25 matches so far in 2025.
— Leagues Reporter (@LeaguesReporter) October 17, 2025
Esther Okoronkwo has earned her first CAF Women’s Player of the Year nomination pic.twitter.com/tkxxA8z3bY
The Women’s Player of the Year vote produced another tight finish. Chebbak topped the table with 223 points, ahead of Ajibade, who finished second with 155. Okoronkwo narrowly missed the podium by a single point, ending on 134. Nigeria’s coach placed Okoronkwo above Ajibade, but media representative Samuel Ahmadu left the Super Falcons captain out of his top three, voting instead for Barbra Banda, Tabitha Chawinga and Okoronkwo.
Nnadozie’s category proved far more decisive. The Paris FC goalkeeper dominated the Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year vote with 181 points, well ahead of South Africa’s Andile Dlamini. Most coaches and captains across the continent ranked the Nigerian first. But once again, Nigeria’s own media representative did not include her in his top three, selecting Cynthia Konlan, Adji Ndiaye and Dlamini.
I am incredibly grateful and truly honored to receive this award. Being recognized for the 3rd time means a lot to me . This moment reflects countless hours of hard work. My sincere appreciation goes to my coaches and teammates, and to all the amazing people who has helped me ❤️ pic.twitter.com/NTKQI7104g
— Nnadozie chiamaka (O.O.N) (@Nadoziechiamaka) November 20, 2025
The Women’s Young Player of the Year category saw Shakirat Moshood finish second behind Morocco’s Doha El Madani. Media votes again played a role; Ahmadu ranked Moshood outside his top three entirely, while representatives from Morocco and Senegal placed her lower or higher depending on regional preference.
The Super Falcons’ triumph in the Women’s National Team of the Year category was more comfortable: 15 of the 29 voters placed Nigeria first. But even here, the Nigerian media vote stood out — Tanzania, South Africa and Ghana were ranked above the Falcons, who were placed fifth.
Across the categories, the data underlines a recurring theme: Nigerian players performed strongly continent-wide, yet the internal inconsistency of Nigeria’s own votes sometimes limited their final positions.
