VICTOR Osimhen has been included among the nominees for the Men’s Best Player prize of the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards, along with the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Super Eagles striker is nominated along with 29 other top players for the top prize of the annual awards.
Erling Haaland, who finished second behind Messi in the Ballon d’Or, and third-placed Kylian Mbappe are also up for the Globe Soccer Awards.
Osimhen has been recognised for his stellar 2022/2023 season, during which he was top scorer in Serie A with 26 goals as he led Napoli to their first Scudetto in 33 years.
The 24-year-old Nigeria international was the only African in the Ballon d’Or top 10 for 2022/2023 and is in the running for the CAF African Player of the Year award.
Among the other players up for the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards are Egypt and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, Osimhen’s Napoli teammate Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, England captain Harry Kane and Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham.
Treble winners Manchester City have more players in the list than any other club, with nine: Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne, Julian Alvarez, Haaland, Jack Grealish, Ederson, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias and Phil Foden.
England forward with Nigerian heritage Bukayo Saka is also nominated as are Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana and Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez.
Robert Lewandowski, Luka Modric, Ilkay Gundogan, Vinicius Jr and Antoine Griezmann, all based in Spain, are also in the long list.
The Globe Soccer Awards will be held in Dubai on January 12, 2024, one day before the Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Cote d’Ivoire.
The awards were launched in 2011, with Cristiano Ronaldo winning the main prize six times since then, while no other player has won it more than once.
Curiously, Lionel Messi, who has won more Ballon d’Or and FIFA Player of the Year awards than any footballer in history, has won the Dubai Globe Soccer prize only once.
