Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen has as soon as once more been shortlisted for the Confederation of African Soccer (CAF) Males’s Participant of the 12 months award following one other stellar marketing campaign for membership and nation.
The CAF launched the 2025 nominees checklist on it’s official pages; confirming Osimhen’s place among the many continent’s elite as soon as once more after successful the highest prize in 2023.
The Tremendous Eagles striker loved a prolific 2024/2025 season with Turkish champions Galatasaray, scoring 37 targets, offering seven assists in 41 matches, and successful two main trophies.
His mixture of consistency, bodily dominance, and medical ending has as soon as once more made him one among Africa’s most feared forwards.
[Credit: CAF]
Osimhen’s closest challengers for the highest particular person honour embody Mohamed Salah of Egypt, who recorded 34 targets and 23 assists in 52 matches for Liverpool, and Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, who loved a embellished marketing campaign with Paris Saint-Germain, successful 4 trophies whereas contributing 9 targets and 12 assists.
Whereas Osimhen is within the combine, Ademola Lookman, the reigning African Participant of the 12 months and final 12 months’s hero for Atalanta, was omitted from this 12 months’s shortlist.
Past Osimhen, Nigeria nonetheless earned some notable recognition. Stanley Nwabali, who impressed for the Tremendous Eagles throughout the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations and continues to shine for Chippa United in South Africa, was nominated for Goalkeeper of the 12 months.
Within the Younger Participant of the 12 months class, Nigeria’s Daniel Bameyi, captain of the Flying Eagles and defender for Slovenian facet NK Primorje, earned a deserved nomination following constant shows on the worldwide stage.
Nonetheless, Nigeria’s total illustration stays skinny.
The nation is absent from key classes akin to Coach of the 12 months, Interclub Participant of the 12 months, Nationwide Staff of the 12 months, and Membership of the 12 months — a reminder of how particular person brilliance continues to outshine collective progress in Nigerian soccer in the mean time.
CAF defined that the nominations have been determined by a panel of consultants, together with members of its Technical and Growth Committee, coaches, and chosen media representatives.
Performances between 6 January and 15 October 2025 shaped the idea for the shortlist. The winners shall be introduced on the CAF Awards ceremony later this 12 months.
Checklist of nominees (Males’s classes)
Participant of the 12 months
Andre Frank Zambo-Anguissa (Cameroon/Napoli)
Fiston Mayele (DR Congo/Pyramids)
Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool)
Denis Bouanga (Gabon/Los Angeles FC)
Serhou Guirassy (Guinea/Borussia Dortmund)
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco/Paris Saint-Germain)
Oussama Lamlioui (Morocco/RS Berkane)
Victor Osimhen (Nigeria/Galatasaray)
Iliman Ndiaye (Senegal/Everton)
Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal/Tottenham Hotspur)
Goalkeeper of the 12 months
Andre Onana (Cameroon/Trabzonspor)
Vozinha (Cape Verde/Chaves)
Ahmed El Shenawy (Egypt/Pyramids)
Munir Mohamedi (Morocco/RS Berkane)
Yassine Bonou (Morocco/Al Hilal)
Stanley Nwabali (Nigeria/Chippa United)
Edouard Mendy (Senegal/Al Ahli)
Marc Diouf (Senegal/Tengueth)
Ronwen Williams (South Africa/Mamelodi Sundowns)
Aymen Dahmen (Tunisia/CS Sfaxien)
Interclub Participant of the 12 months
Ismael Belkacemi (Algeria/Al Ahli Tripoli)
Blati Toure (Burkina Faso/Pyramids FC)
Issoufou Dayo (Burkina Faso/RS Berkane)
Fiston Mayele (DR Congo/Pyramids)
Ahmed Samy (Egypt/Pyramids)
Emam Ashour (Egypt/Al Ahly)
Ibrahim Adel (Egypt/Pyramids)
Mohamed Hrimat (Morocco/AS FAR)
Mohamed Chibi (Morocco/Pyramids)
Oussama Lamlioui (Morocco/RS Berkane)
Shomari Kapombe (Tanzania/Simba)
Coach of the 12 months
Bubista (Cape Verde)
Hossam Hassan (Egypt)
Krunoslav Jurcic (Pyramids)
Sami Trabelsi (Tunisia)
Romuald Rakotondrabe (Madagascar CHAN)
Moine Chaabani (RS Berkane)
Tarik Sektioui (Morocco CHAN)
Mohamed Ouahbi (Morocco U-20)
Walid Regragui (Morocco)
Pape Thiaw (Senegal)
Younger Participant of the 12 months
Asharaf Tapsoba (Burkina Faso/Actual du Faso)
Alynho Haidara (Cote d’Ivoire/Mainz 05 Jacqueville)
Noah Sadiki (DR Congo/Sunderland)
Abdellah Ouazane (Morocco/Ajax)
Houssam Essadak (Morocco/US Touarga)
Othmane Maamma (Morocco/Watford)
Daniel Bameyi (Nigeria/Primorje)
Momoh Kamara (Sierra Leone/Minnesota United)
Mbekezeli Mbokazi (South Africa/Orlando Pirates)
Tylon Smith (South Africa/Queens Park Rangers)
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Nationwide Staff of the 12 months
Algeria
Cape Verde
Cote d’Ivoire
Egypt
Ghana
Morocco U-20
Morocco
Senegal
South Africa
Tunisia
Membership of the 12 months
CR Belouizdad (Algeria)
CS Constantine (Algeria)
ASEC Mimosas (Cote d’Ivoire)
Pyramids (Egypt)
RS Berkane (Morocco)
Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
Orlando Pirates (South Africa)
Stellenbosch (South Africa)
Al Hilal (Sudan)
Simba (Tanzania)
Nigeria’s historical past on the CAF Awards
Nigeria boasts one among Africa’s proudest information on the CAF Awards, with six gamers having lifted the continent’s high particular person honour.
Nwankwo Kanu stays probably the most embellished, successful in 1996 and 1999, whereas Victor Ikpeba (1997), Rashidi Yekini (1993), and Emmanuel Amuneke (1994) additionally claimed the title throughout Nigeria’s golden period of the Nineties.
John Obi Mikel got here shut in 2013, ending runner-up to Yaya Touré.
Osimhen and Lookman are Nigeria’s most up-to-date winners clinching the highest prize in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
