CAF POTY: Osimhen to battle Liverpool's Salah, 28 others for Africa's Best Player award

• The Confederation of Africa Football, CAF, has named Napoli striker, Victor Osimhen, among the 30 players to contend for the 2023 CAF Men's Player of the Year award.
• Seven Moroccans, four Egyptians, two Ghanaians, and two Ivorians are on the list, while Osimhen is the only Nigerian to be nominated.

Aside from the Super Eagles striker, the list of nominees features Liverpool's prolific winger Mohamed Salah, Arsenal's midfield stalwart Thomas Partey, Manchester United's Sofyan Amrabat, and Tottenham Hotspur's duo Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr.

Among the Premier League contenders, Nottingham Forest's Ibrahima Sangare and West Ham United's Mohammed Kudus have also secured spots on the list.

Osimhen will, however, be considered among the favourites to be named the 2023 CAF Player of the Year.

The 24-year-old striker's rise to prominence comes as no surprise, following his instrumental role in propelling Napoli to their third Scudetto triumph and a historic quarterfinal appearance in the UEFA Champions League.

Osimhen also became the first Nigerian to make it into the top ten in the Ballon d'Or race, with his 8th-place finish placing him ahead of other African stars in 2023.

An Osimhen triumph in the CAF awards would make him the first Nigerian player to secure the prestigious CAF Player of the Year title since Nwankwo Kanu claimed the gong in 1999.

Previous Nigerian winners of the CAF Player of the Year include Rashidi Yekini (1993), Emmanuel Amunike (1994), and Victor Ikpeba (1997).

Full list of nominees Player of the Year (Men)

1. Ramy Bensebaini (Algeria and Borussia Dortmund)
2. Riyad Mahrez (Algeria and Al Ahli)
3. Edmond Tapsoba (Burkina Faso and Bayer Leverkusen)
4. Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (Cameroon and SSC Napoli)
5. Vincent Aboubacar (Cameroon and Besiktas)
6. Ibrahima Sangare (Cote d’Ivoire and Nottingham Forest)
7. Seko Fofana (Cote d’Ivoire and Al Nassr)
8. Chancel Mbemba (DR Congo and Olympique Marseille)
9. Fiston Mayele (DR Congo and Pyramids)
10. Mahmoud Abdel Moneim “Kahraba” (Egypt and Ahly)
11. Mohamed Abdelmonem (Egypt and Al Ahly)
12. Mohamed ElShenawy (Egypt and Al Ahly)
13. Mohamed Salah (Egypt and Liverpool)
14. Mohammed Kudus (Ghana and West Ham United)
15. Thomas Partey (Ghana and Arsenal)
16. Serhou Guirassy (Guinea and VfB Stuttgart)
17. Yves Bissouma (Mali and Tottenham Hotspur)
18. Achraf Hakimi (Morocco and Paris Saint-Germain)
19. Azzedine Ounahi (Morocco and Olympique Marseille)
20. Hakim Ziyech (Morocco and Galatasaray)
21. Sofyan Amrabat (Morocco and Manchester United)
22. Yahya Jabrane (Morocco and Wydad Athletic Club)
23. Yassine Bounou (Morocco and Al Hilal)
24. Youssef En-Nesyri (Morocco and Sevilla)
25. Peter Shalulile (Namibia and Mamelodi Sundowns)
26. Victor Osimhen (Nigeria and SSC Napoli)
27. Sadio Mane (Senegal and Al Nassr)
28. Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal and Tottenham Hotspur)
29. Percy Tau (South Africa and Al Ahly)
30. Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane (Tunisia and Ferencvaros)