Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen has once again been shortlisted for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Men’s Player of the Year award following another stellar campaign for club and country.
The CAF released the 2025 nominees list on it’s official pages; confirming Osimhen’s place among the continent’s elite once again after winning the top prize in 2023.
The Super Eagles striker enjoyed a prolific 2024/2025 season with Turkish champions Galatasaray, scoring 37 goals, providing seven assists in 41 matches, and winning two major trophies.
His combination of consistency, physical dominance, and clinical finishing has once again made him one of Africa’s most feared forwards.
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Osimhen and other challengers for the top prize
[Credit: CAF]Osimhen’s closest challengers for the top individual honour include Mohamed Salah of Egypt, who recorded 34 goals and 23 assists in 52 matches for Liverpool, and Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, who enjoyed a decorated campaign with Paris Saint-Germain, winning four trophies while contributing nine goals and 12 assists.
While Osimhen is in the mix, Ademola Lookman, the reigning African Player of the Year and last year’s hero for Atalanta, was omitted from this year’s shortlist.
Beyond Osimhen, Nigeria still earned some notable recognition. Stanley Nwabali, who impressed for the Super Eagles during the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations and continues to shine for Chippa United in South Africa, was nominated for Goalkeeper of the Year.
In the Young Player of the Year category, Nigeria’s Daniel Bameyi, captain of the Flying Eagles and defender for Slovenian side NK Primorje, earned a deserved nomination following consistent displays on the international stage.
Still, Nigeria’s overall representation remains thin.
The country is absent from key categories such as Coach of the Year, Interclub Player of the Year, National Team of the Year, and Club of the Year — a reminder of how individual brilliance continues to outshine collective progress in Nigerian football at the moment.
CAF explained that the nominations were decided by a panel of experts, including members of its Technical and Development Committee, coaches, and selected media representatives.
Performances between 6 January and 15 October 2025 formed the basis for the shortlist. The winners will be announced at the CAF Awards ceremony later this year.
List of nominees (Men’s categories)
Player of the Year
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 Year
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 Player of the Year
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 Year
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)
Young Player of the Year
Asharaf Tapsoba (Burkina Faso/Real 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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National Team of the Year
Algeria
Cape Verde
Cote d’Ivoire
Egypt
Ghana
Morocco U-20
Morocco
Senegal
South Africa
Tunisia
Club of the Year
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 history at the CAF Awards
Nigeria boasts one of Africa’s proudest records at the CAF Awards, with six players having lifted the continent’s top individual honour.
Nwankwo Kanu remains the most decorated, winning in 1996 and 1999, while Victor Ikpeba (1997), Rashidi Yekini (1993), and Emmanuel Amuneke (1994) also claimed the title during Nigeria’s golden era of the 1990s.
John Obi Mikel came close in 2013, finishing runner-up to Yaya Touré.
Osimhen and Lookman are Nigeria’s most recent winners clinching the top prize in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
