Nigerian international, Victor Osimhen, has arrived in Marrakech, Morocco, hours before the 2023 CAF Awards on Monday.
The Napoli Italy striker, who is among the three-man final shortlist, for the leading award in the men’s category, flew in directly from his Italy base.
Osimhen has been tipped to win the prestigious prize but he faces strong contention from Achraf Hakimi of Morocco and Egypt’s Mohamed Salah.
The 24-year-old had a remarkable 2022/2023 season, helping Napoli win the Serie A title for the first time after over three decades.
He scored 26 league goals and 31 in all competitions to win the Golden Boot and emerge the Serie A Player of the Season.
Osimhen also smashed several records, including the longstanding one by Liberia’s President George Weah, to become the African with the most goals in the Italian topflight.
On the other hand, Hakimi played a crucial role as Morocco became the first African team to reach the semi-final of a FIFA World Cup, achieving such a feat in Qatar in 2022.
The 25-year-old also helped Paris Saint-Germain win the Ligue 1 title during the season.
Salah also had a stellar season for Liverpool as the Egyptian broke the thirty-goal barrier for the third season running, a highlight being a seven-minute hat trick away to Rangers in the Champions League, GOAL reports.
He featured in every league game, and by the end of the season, he was joint fifth in Liverpool’s all-time goalscorers list with 186.