CAF 2023 Awards: Congratulations Osimhen, Oshoala, Nnadozie!!

The winners of the Confederation for African Football (CAF) Awards, 2023 were announced this evening and it was an entire clean sweep for Nigeria in the most important individual categories.

 

WORTHY WINNERS

Asisat Oshoala of the Barcelona FC Women's team won the best African Female Footballer trophy, Victor Osimhen of Napoli FC, Italy, won the male category, whilst Chiamaka Nnadozie of Paris FC (W) won the best African Female goalkeeper award. For these Nigerians, it is a culmination of several years of hard work and consistent exploits. This year’s title was the sixth for Oshoala. Victor Osimhen won the Best African Young Player award seven years ago and today’s award affirms his legendary status. Osimhen performed the herculean task of helping his club, Napoli FC win the Italian Scudetto, after over thirty years since world soccer legend, Diego Maradona, helped them achieve this feat. For Oshoala, she was an extremely important figure in helping her team win the Women's UEFA Champions League, last season, and her exploits in the Women's World Cup were, very remarkable.

 

                                       The last Nigerian footballer to win the male African Footballer of the Year award was Kanu Nwankwo, the former Ajax, Arsenal, and Inter Milan FC Player. He won it in 1996 and 1999 whilst in Arsenal and Inter Milan FC respectively. Osimhen’s success marked the first time in twenty-four, years for a Nigerian to win this trophy. He did not win this award on a platter of gold, as he was able to ward off the competition from Egyptian legend Mo Salah, Liverpool FC, and Achref Hackimi, PSG France.

Chiamaka Nnadozie’s award is another worthy recognition for a player who has consistently made his country and club proud with her consistent performances and has made pundits suggest her invitation to help solve the goalkeeping quagmire in the male team. Her goalkeeping skill and agility are beyond doubt and like the other two players; they stand a chance of furthering their victories since age is on their side! Like Oshoala, Chiamaka Nnadozie’s performances in the last Women's World Cup Competition cannot go unnoticed, as she virtually carried the Nigerian team.

 

THE RESILIENT NIGERIAN SPIRIT

The life journeys of these players are like a Netflix-scripted grass-to-grace film story that would continue to inspire several other young African youths to be dedicated and focused in whatever good work their hands find to do! Osimhen is attributed to have hawked the streets of Lagos selling sachet water for road users and lost his parents at a very tender age. This story is not far from Oshoala’s whose success has brought her family from the throes of darkness and poverty.

These individual awards for this trio are a testament to the benefits of focus and dedication that can positively transform the life of anyone. Whilst they revel in this euphoria, their awards are not complimentary to the despicable state of this sport in Nigeria. It only serves as an inspiration to their admirers about developing a resilient spirit, especially in the situation the Nigerian state finds itself and the attendant suffering of the citizenry!