Napoli's Victor Osimhen makes Ballon d'Or history as Lionel Messi claims eighth honour

• Napoli striker Victor Osimhen has etched his name in history books after securing the eighth position in the esteemed Ballon d'Or rankings for 2023.
• Osimhen becomes the first-ever Nigerian player to secure a spot in the Ballon d'Or top ten, surpassing the previous highest ranking held by Kanu Nwankwo in 1996, who secured the 11th position.

At the glittering ceremony held at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on Tuesday night, Osimhen finished ahead of several football icons, including Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski, Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann, Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka, Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane, and Real Madrid's Bellingham Jude.

Osimhen's incredible rating is a reward for his exceptional performance last season, where he scored a staggering 31 goals across various competitions for Napoli.

The 24-year-old striker's goals led Napoli to a historic Scudetto title after 30 years and their maiden quarterfinal appearance in the UEFA Champions League.

The Super Eagles striker also became the first African player to clinch the Serie A top goalscorer title.

In other highlights of the evening, Lionel Messi secured his eighth Ballon d'Or title after excelling for PSG and leading Argentina to glory at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Manchester City, the reigning Premier League and Champions League winners, claimed the coveted title of the Men's Club of the Year. Similarly, FC Barcelona Femeni was crowned the Women's Club of the Year.

The final rankings featured Manchester City's Rodri in the 5th position, Vinicius Jr. from Real Madrid in sixth, and Julian Alvarez in seventh.

Other prominent names on the list are Bernardo Silva, Luka Modric, Mo Salah, Robert Lewandowski, Yassine Bounou, Ilkay Gündogan, Emiliano Martinez, Karim Benzema, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Bellingham Jude, Harry Kane, Lautaro Martinez, Antoine Griezmann, Kim Min-jae, Andrey Onana, Bukayo Saka, Josko Gvardiol, Jamal Musiala, Nicolo Barella, Martin Odegaard, Randal Kolo Muani, and Ruben Dias, each securing varying positions from 8th to 30th.