Victor Osimhen: Another Laurel in His Kitty

With the Capocannoniere Award already in the bag after his 26 goals helped Napoli win the 2022/23 Serie A title for the first time in 33 years, Victor Osimhen was on Monday night crowned the Italian Footballers’ Association Player of the Year becoming the first African to achieve the feat

Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen was on Monday night crowned the Italian footballers’ association player of the year for his Napoli performances last season. He was presented with the award after helping Napoli win their first league title in 33 years.

Osimhen scored 26 Serie A goals in 2022-23, breaking George Weah’s record as the highest-scoring African in the Italian top flight in the process.

The former Lille and Wolfsburg striker became the first African to ever win the AIC award, joining the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Andrea Pirlo, Cristiano Ronaldo and last year’s winner Rafael Leao as recipients of the prize.

Osimhen has thanked his friends, family and supporters after clinching the Italia Footballers’ Association (AIC) Player of the Year award.

“Thank you for the recognition and awards, thank you my family, friends and supporters for your votes and unending support,” Osimhen, who was also included in the Serie A team of the year, said in a message posted on X.

Osimhen has been hit by injury this season but the 24-year-old has scored six goals in 10 league games, having returned to action for Walter Mazzari’s side as a substitute in the win against Atalanta on 25 November.

With the AIC award following his eighth-placed finish in the 2023 men’s Ballon d’Or, the striker will hope to become the first Nigerian player to claim the Confederation of African Football (Caf) men’s player of the year trophy since former Arsenal forward Nwankwo Kanu did so in 1999.

The winners of the Caf awards will be announced on Monday, 11 December in Marrakesh, Morocco.

However, the future of the 24 -year-old is still not clear after Napoli president, Aurelio De Laurentiis, claimed that the Nigeria international was about to sign a new contract at the Serie A club.

The news of Osimhen joining Chelsea has been making the rounds with the London club showing serious interest in signing the striker.

His impressive performances saw a host of clubs interested in his service during the summer but the Naples-based club managed to hold onto their star.

After firing the Italian side to Scudetto glory last season, there was speculation over his future, with a hefty price tag placed on him amid talks to extend his stay in Campania.

Interestingly, former Chelsea legend, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has warned the Stamford Bridge eggheads that they could upset the balance of the dressing room if they sign Osimhen in the January transfer window.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side were made to pay for their missed chances at Old Trafford on Wednesday evening as Manchester United sealed a 2-1 victory.

Chelsea’s top scorer in the Premier League this season is Nicolas Jackson, whose six goals include a

hat-trick against nine-man Tottenham last month.

Chelsea have been heavily linked with a move for a new striker in the upcoming transfer window, with reports claiming that Napoli’s Osimhen is their top target.

However, Hasselbaink, who scored 87 goals in four seasons at Chelsea, believes his former club need to think carefully about bolstering Pochettino’s attacking options in January.

‘Chelsea are not scared of the transfer fee,’ Hasselbaink said on Amazon Prime.

‘But if you go back into the window and bring in another striker, I don’t think this is the right thing to do for the dressing room, you are going to get an overcrowded dressing room again.

‘You have three strikers already, or someone has to go if you bring in an Osimhen. This market in January is the hardest to do business.

Meanwhile, Osimhen has made the final shortlist for the 2023 CAF African Player of the Year Awards

with just days remaining until the 2023 CAF Awards ceremony, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has unveiled the final three nominees for each category.

In the Men’s Player of the Year race, Osimhen faces fierce competition from Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah and Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, who was part of the historic Morocco team that made it to the 2022 FIFA World Cup semi-finals.

The three shortlist was announced by CAF on its X handle.

Many predict Osimhen will be a frontrunner for the coveted award because of his exceptional performance throughout the period under review.

If the 24-year-old Nigerian emerges victorious, he will become the first Nigerian player to win the award since Kanu Nwankwo’s remarkable achievement in 1999.