CAN OSIMHEN’S POTY WIN KEEP NIGERIAN MEN ATOP CAF PODIUM?
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Napoli striker Victor Osimhen wasn’t even a year old the last time a Nigerian man won the African Player of the Year prize, but he it was who ended Nigeria’s 24-year wait for the gong. And he could well be the man who ensures that Nigeria stays there in the years to come.
When Nwankwo Kanu mounted the podium in 1999 to receive the second of his CAF POTY awards, few would have believed it would take another quarter of a century until another Nigerian claimed African men’s football’s top individual prize.
This year’s win was a near clean sweep for Nigeria, with Asisat Oshoala winning the women’s prize for a record sixth time, the Goalkeeper of the Year (Women) won by Chiamaka Nnadozie, and the Team of Year (Women).
Between 1993 and 1999, Nigeria had claimed the prize three out of six years, and finished within the top three in all six. In fact, between 1994 and 1998, Nigeria had two players in the top three every year.
But a decline in the Super Eagles’ fortunes also marked a fall away in individual recognitions for Eagles stars and it took until 2003 before another Nigerian, Austin Okocha, returned to the top three, and again the next year, finishing bottom on each occasion as Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o and Côte d’Ivoire’s Didier Drogba held sway.
It was to be another nine years before a Nigerian came close, John Mikel Obi finishing second behind Yaya Touré. The next year, it was the turn of Vincent Enyeama to fall short. Until now.
According to 1997 African Player of the Year Victor Ikpeba, Nigeria’s best hope of winning the award again lies with the strikers, especially Osimhen and perhaps Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface.
Ikpeba said in an interview: “Osimhen has a good chance of winning it again if Napoli wins the Serie A again, goes far in the Champions League and he continues to score as he has been scoring. Or if he moves to another big club in a top five league and continues scoring. But I will expect him to be up there again next year, and maybe win it again.
“Someone like Victor Boniface is also in a good position to win it if he continues to score goals like he is doing, and Leverkusen do well in the league and in Europe.”
Ikpeba, whose goals for Monaco in Ligue 1 and the Champions league helped him win the award in 1997, added: “Goals matter. Because let us be honest, most of the winners of the awards, whether in Africa or anywhere else are goalscorers and right now, we have some of the best goalscorers in Africa.”
Beyond that, however, Ikpeba says the federation must play their part: “They have to ensure that the team does well, qualify for the World Cup, reach the final of the AFCON and even win it and also play good friendly matches that will expose our boys even more.
“When the national team is doing well and players are scoring goals, it is easier for them to get recognition too.”
NFF president Ibrahim Musa Gusau, who received the team of the Year prize on behalf of the Super Falcons expressed hope for the future: “This has been hugely rewarding for our football and for our country as a whole.
“I congratulate Osimhen, Oshoala and Nnadozie, and I congratulate the Super Falcons as a team for bringing us this honour.
“My charge would be that they all keep doing what they know how to do best, keep improving and keep winning. The sky will be the beginning for them.”
But hope alone is not a sufficient condition to win accolades, without consistent individual and national team success. Ikpeba said Nigerian players need to play for top clubs and win in order to push for recognition.
“Our players have to be consistent in playing in top clubs in the top five leagues in Europe for us to have more wins,” he said. “Look at the past winners, almost all played for big clubs in the top five leagues in Europe.
“Right now, we don’t have many players in top clubs. In our era, many players were at top clubs like Juventus, PSG, Monaco, Arsenal and so on. Those big clubs give players a chance to show themselves and be in the top three of the African awards.
“But apart from that, they also have to fight for it. This is an individual award and it is not enough to play at the right club and at the highest level, they have to be outstanding.”
ESPN
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