Osimhen’s Ballon D’Or Nomination: Can Victor Osimhen Surpass Kanu’s 96 Feat

Victor Osimhen Ballon D’Or nomination makes him the 7th Nigerian to be in that class and will hope to have a better finish as a Nigerian.

Victor’s nomination is the latest for a Nigerian since 1999 when Kanu got his second nomination.

Nwankwo Kanu finished 11th in the Baton D’Or voting(14 Votes) for 96 after having an exciting year with Nigeria at the Atlanta 96 Olympics.

Nominated for the 2023 Ballon d’Or

Osimhen Balon D’Or Nomination: African History

George Weah in 1995, while playing for AC Milan, became the first African player to win the Ballon d’Or, an award that celebrates the best player in the world. This achievement ever since has raised the bar for players on the continent.

Players such as Senegal’s Sadio Mane, Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, and Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o have all come so close to equalling Weah’s achievement.

The 2023 Ballon d’Or 30-man shortlist sees only four Africans make the shortlist. Morocco’s number one Yassine Bounou, Egypt’s captain Mohamed Salah, Cameroon’s Andre Onana, and Nigeria’s golden boy Victor Osimhen.

However, Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen has the biggest shout at the ultimate prize out of the African quartet.

The Nigerian was exceptional and highly instrumental in securing Napoli a third scudetto after 33 years. After scoring 26 goals in 38 games the Nigerian clinched Paolo Rossi award, making him the third-best thing after Spaghetti and Pizza in Italy.

Other Nigerian Nominations

Osimhen’s Ballon d’Or nomination for 2023 makes him the 7th Nigerian to get recognition at football’s top individual prize. Sunday Oliseh, Jay-Jay Okocha, Daniel Amokachi, Findi George, Victor Ikpeba, and Nwankwo Kanu have all taken this same path to Ballon d’Or glory, but the closest so far to the podium was Nwankwo Kanu’s 1996 11th position finish.

Osimhen will be hoping to better Kanu’s record this year and if possible secure Africa’s second-best finish at the event. He has the likes of Erling Haaland, Lionel Messi, Rodri, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, and 25 outstanding talents to beat for the ultimate prize.