Victor Osimhen Makes History with 8th Place in Ballon d'Or
Since France Football opened the Ballon d'Or to non-European players at European clubs in 1995, nine Nigerian footballers have received nominations. Victor Osimhen leads with an eighth-place finish in 2023 after scoring 31 goals for Napoli, which won its first Serie A title in 33 years.
Osimhen also became the first African player to win the Italian top flight's golden boot. Nwankwo Kanu is the only Nigerian man to appear twice in the final rankings, finishing 11th in 1996 and 23rd in 1999 while at Arsenal.
Ademola Lookman finished 14th in 2024 after a hat-trick in the Europa League final for Atalanta. Other nominees include Finidi George, who placed 21st in 1995, and Victor Ikpeba, who finished 32nd in 1997.
Austin Okocha and Daniel Amokachi received nominations in 1995, while Sunday Oliseh was shortlisted in 1998, but none secured a recorded ranking.
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