Victor Osimhen has been named among the final three nominees for the 2025 CAF Men’s Player of the Year award, Soccernet.ng reports.
Osimhen’s nomination caps a resurgent year that has restored the Super Eagles striker to African football’s top table.
CAF confirmed the finalists on Sunday on its official X account, trimming the list from the 10-man shortlist originally released in October.
The Galatasaray forward will contest the prestigious honour with Egypt’s Mohamed Salah and Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi.
() – #CAFAwards2025 pic.twitter.com/C22pZJc3G7
— CAF_Online (@CAF_Online) November 16, 2025
It is a significant personal comeback for Osimhen, who missed out on last year’s edition but has powered his way back into contention following a transformative season in Turkey. On loan at Galatasaray, he delivered a blistering campaign: 37 goals, seven assists, a domestic double, and an electric start to the new season that includes nine goals from 12 matches in the Turkish Lig and Champions League.
His Champions League tally of six goals currently leads the competition, putting him ahead of Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappé and Harry Kane, each on five. For Nigeria, he has remained indispensable, scoring a hat-trick against Benin Republic and striking twice in the Super Eagles’ playoff semifinal win over Gabon.
The former Napoli striker first won the award in 2023, and will aim to join an elite group of Nigerians to have won the award twice.
Alongside Osimhen, Salah remains a firm favourite after inspiring Liverpool to the 2024–25 Premier League title, where he clinched both the Golden Boot and the league’s Player of the Season award.
Hakimi, meanwhile, powered PSG to a historic treble of the Champions League, Ligue 1 and French Cup, with a consistency that has kept the Moroccan defender firmly among world football’s elite.
The winner will be unveiled on Wednesday, 19 November 2025, when the Awards ceremony hold in Rabat, Morocco.
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CAF Awards: Ajibade, Nnadozie earn final spots as Okoronkwo misses out
Nigeria’s strong presence extended into the women’s category, where Super Falcons duo Rasheedat Ajibade and Chiamaka Nnadozie were both shortlisted for top honours.
Ajibade, captain of the Super Falcons and now a star of PSG Féminine, secured a place among the final three nominees for the 2025 Women’s Player of the Year award. Her year included a standout WAFCON campaign, held in Morocco in 2025, where she was named Most Valuable Player as Nigeria reclaimed the continental crown. She also helped Atlético Madrid Femenino secure Champions League qualification before sealing a summer move to Paris.
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— CAF_Online (@CAF_Online) November 16, 2025
She lines up against Morocco’s Ghizlane Chebbak, the WAFCON 2024 top scorer, and Sanaa Mssoudy of AS FAR.
However, there was disappointment for WAFCON final MVP Esther Okoronkwo, who missed out despite a stellar year with AFC Toronto and the Super Falcons. Many had tipped her to reach at least the final three.
In the goalkeeping category, Chiamaka Nnadozie continued her dominance on the continent, earning her third consecutive final-three nomination. The Brighton & Hove Albion shot-stopper, who has won the award in the last two editions, is shortlisted alongside Morocco’s Khadija Er-Rmichi and South Africa’s Andile Dlamini.
() – #CAFAwards2025 pic.twitter.com/vBXJ82ibqQ
— CAF_Online (@CAF_Online) November 16, 2025
Nigeria U17 girls team captain Shakirat Moshood also made the final three in the Young Player of the Year (Women) category.
However, Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali and U20 captain Daniel Bameyi both missed out on their respective final shortlists.
The CAF Awards will honour players, coaches, and teams for performances recorded between 6 January and 15 October 2025.