After a remarkable year for club and country, Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen has been ranked among the world’s top 50 footballers for 2025, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 26-year-old forward sits 46th on The Guardian’s prestigious annual list of the 100 best footballers in the world, released this week. It represents a sharp rise from 74th last year, a jump of 28 places that reflects both sustained goalscoring excellence and renewed influence at club and international level.
Osimhen’s position is made more striking by those he outranks. Portugal icon Cristiano Ronaldo, now with Al-Nassr, is placed 51st, while several high-profile players from Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Real Madrid also trail the Nigerian on the list.
Two years ago, Osimhen was ranked ninth in the world after firing Napoli to a historic Serie A title, ending the club’s 33-year wait for the Scudetto. At the time, he was widely expected to seal a blockbuster move to one of Europe’s elite clubs.
Instead, his decision to move to the Turkish Super Lig last year raised eyebrows, and his choice to remain there throughout 2025 surprised even more observers. Yet his performances have silenced much of the scepticism.
Osimhen has scored 36 goals in all competitions in 2025, maintaining elite-level output and leading Galatasaray’s charge domestically and in Europe. He has also been prolific in the Champions League, where his pace, movement and physical presence have unsettled top defences.
At international level, Osimhen scored eight goals in World Cup qualifiers, continuing to shoulder Nigeria’s attacking burden.
However, the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the finals stands out as the one major disappointment in an otherwise outstanding year for the striker.
Even so, The Guardian panel clearly judged Osimhen’s overall impact, consistency and influence to outweigh Nigeria’s collective setback.
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Who Osimhen beat and who beat him
Osimhen’s ranking places him ahead of a wide range of established stars. Below him are Trent Alexander-Arnold (98) of Real Madrid, Rafael Leão (91) of AC Milan, and an Arsenal quartet featuring Eberechi Eze (56), David Raya (58), Martín Zubimendi (70) and Mikel Merino (90).
Several Manchester City players – Tijjani Reijnders, Jérémy Doku, Rodri and Bernardo Silva – also rank beneath the Nigerian, as do Chelsea’s Estevão, Manchester United’s Bryan Mbeumo, and Liverpool striker Alexander Isak.
However, there are notable names above Osimhen that may prompt debate. Liverpool’s expensive signing Florian Wirtz is ranked 36th, while Arsenal striker Viktor Gyökeres sits 28th despite a difficult campaign in the Premier League. Former Liverpool winger Luis Díaz (now at Bayern Munich) is 31st, with Chelsea midfielder Moisés Caicedo at 32nd.
The top 50 also includes global superstars such as Lionel Messi, Jude Bellingham, and PSG winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Among African players revealed so far, only Serhou Guirassy (39) ranks higher than Osimhen, with Bryan Mbeumo (77), André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, and Antoine Semenyo (88) also making the list. The top 10 is yet to be unveiled, with Mohamed Salah and Achraf Hakimi widely tipped to feature.
Osimhen now has the chance to crown his year by leading Nigeria at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, which begins in Morocco this weekend.