“CAF has announced the shortlists for the men’s categories for the CAF Awards 2023,” the African football governing body said on Friday.
The Napoli forward, who is the overwhelming favourite, is the only Nigerian to make the cut and will be aiming to cap off an impressive year in which he won the Italian Scuddeto and top scorer gong in the league.
A few weeks ago, Osimhen finished eighth in the 2023 Ballon d’Or awards held in the French city of Paris.
Apart from the Nigerian, other top players who made the final 10 nominees for the CAF award include holder and Senegalese forward Sadio Mane; Riyad Mahrez of Algeria; and Achraf Hakimi of Morocco among others.
The ultimate winner of each category will be decided after votes from a voting panel consisting of the CAF Technical Committee, media professionals, Head coaches, and captains of member associations and clubs involved in the group stages of the Interclub competitions, CAF added.
The Awards Gala is billed for Monday, 11 December 2023 in Marrakech, Morocco.
Final Shortlist For 2023 CAF Best Player Prize
1- Riyad Mahrez (Algeria, Al Ahli)
2- Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (Cameroon, SSC Napoli)
3- Vincent Aboubacar (Cameroon, Besiktas)
4- Mohamed Salah (Egypt, Liverpool)
5- Achraf Hakimi (Morocco, Paris Saint-Germain)
6- Sofyan Amrabat (Morocco, Manchester United)
7- Yassine Bounou (Morocco, Al Hilal)
8- Youssef En-Nesyri (Morocco, Sevilla)
9- Victor Osimhen (Nigeria, SSC Napoli)
10- Sadio Mane (Senegal, Al Nassr)
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
