Osimhen battles Saka, Mbappe, Messi, Ronaldo, 20 others for IFFHS Men's World Best Player 2023

Nigeria international Victor Osimhen has been nominated for the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) Men's World Best Player 2023. 

The main distinction is that the performances of the players for the calendar year were taken into account and not the season. 

Osimhen had a great year at Napoli, scoring 27 goals in 39 games across all competitions and played a crucial role as Napoli lifted their first Serie A crown since 1990 in May. 

On the international stage, the 2015 Fifa U17 World Cup Golden Boot winner mustered five goals in five appearances for the Nigeria national team, including a hat-trick against São Tomé and Príncipe in a 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. 

On the back of those performances, he was nominated for the prestigious Ballon d'Or and The Best FIFA Men's Player, and is guaranteed a podium finish when the winner of the African Footballer of the Year is announced on Monday.

The other nominees that stand out above the rest are: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Erling Haaland (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) and Cristiano Ronaldo ( Al Nassr).

Two players with a Nigerian background in the shape of Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka and Bayern Munich attacking midfielder Jamal Musiala are both in the running for the IFFHS Men's World Best Player 2023. 

Liverpool's Egypt winger Mohamed Salah has also been nominated for the award. 

Full list of nominees: 

Jude Bellingham - Real Madrid

Kevin De Bruyne - Manchester City

Rúben Dias - Manchester City

İlkay Gündoğan - Manchester City/ Barcelona

Erling Haaland - Manchester City

Rodri  - Manchester City

Bernardo Silva - Manchester City

Harry Kane - Tottenham Hotspur/ Bayern Munich

Kim Min-jae - Napoli/ Bayern Munich

Lautaro Martínez - Inter Milan                                  

Nicolò Barella - Inter Milan

Kylian Mbappé - Paris Saint-Germain

Lionel Messi - Paris Saint-Germain/Inter Miami

Jamal Musiala - Bayern Munich

Martin Ødegaard - Arsenal

Bukayo Saka - Arsenal

Victor Osimhen -  Napoli

Vinícius Júnior - Real Madrid

Bruno Fernandes  - Manchester United

Mohamed Salah -  Liverpool  

Romelu Lukaku - Inter/ Roma

Alphonso Davies - Bayern Munich

Cristiano Ronaldo - Al Nassr Jeddah

German Cano - Fluminense

Antoine Griezmann-  Atlético Madrid

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

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