Nigerian international Victor Osimhen will compete with the likes of Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland for this year’s Ballon d’Or.
He becomes the first Nigerian to be nominated for the prestigious prize Nwankwo Kanu in 1999.
He was also instrumental for the club as his five goals in the Champions League helped the Italian outfit to reach the quarter-final of the competition for the very first time.
On the international scene, he has helped Nigeria to secure a place at the Africa Cup of Nations with seven goals already in the qualifiers, two more than Senegal’s Sadio Mane.
The last time a Nigerian was nominated for the Ballon d’Or was in 1999, when Arsenal’s Nwankwo Kanu received two votes alongside Ronaldo and Hernan Crespo.
Three years earlier, ‘Papilo’ received 14 votes in the 1996 Ballon d’Or voting, putting him ahead of the 1995 winner, Weah and above the likes of Gabriel Batistuta, Raul and Didier Deschamps, GOAL reports.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi is on the verge of receiving his eighth Ballon d’Or, having been again nominated for the prestigious prize.
The Argentine is poised to land the gong after leading La Albiceleste to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Erling Haaland is also a major contender for the price after winning a treble with English club Manchester City and scoring 52 goals in all competitions.
Full list of 2023 Ballon d’Or nominees
1 Josko Gvardiol
2 Jamal Musiala
3 Andrey Onana
4 Karim Benzema
5 Mohamed Salah
6 Bukayo Saka
7 Kevin DeBruyne
8 Jude Bellingham
9 Randal Kolo Muani
10 Bernardo Silva
11 Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
12 Nicolo Barella
13 Emi martinezz1
14 Ruben Dias
15 Erling Haaland
16 Martin Odegaard
17 Ilkay Gundogan
18 Yassine Bounou
19 Julian Alvarez
20 Vinicius Junior
21 Rodri
22 Antoine Griezmann
23 Lionel Messi
24 Lautaro Martinez
25 Robert Lewandowski
26 Kim Min-jae
27 Luka Modric10
28 Kylian Mbappe
29 Victor Osimhen
30 Harry Kane
