Nigeria enjoys splendid Caf gala night as Osimhen and Oshoala win African player of the year awards

NIGERIA has just had an excellent night at the Confederation of African Football (Caf) gala awards night as the country won both the male and female footballer of the year gongs with Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala picking up the respective titles.

In the men's category. Osimhen, who plays for Napoli in Italy's Serie A, broke a 23-year drought, as a Nigerian male last won African footballer of the year in 1999 when Nwankwo Kanu was conferred with the award. At the awards ceremony in Marrakech, Morocco, Oshoala then won Caf’s Women’s Player of the Year for a record sixth time after inspiring Barcelona to Champions League glory.

Oshoala, 29, beat South African Thembi Kgatlana and Zambia’s Barbara Banda to retain her crown as Africa's top footballer. Her Super Falcons teammate, Chiamaka Nnadozie, clinched her first-ever Caf Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year award, in what was an all round splendid evening for Nigeria.

South African senior women’s national team coach, Desiree Ellis, who guided the team to their first-ever Caf Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and second World Cup appearance, was voted female coach of the year. Morocco's Walid Regragui, was named coach of the year in the men’s category, after guiding his country to a historic World Cup semi-final run in Qatar.

Moroccan hero, Yassine Bounou, won the Caf award for Best African Male Goalkeeper ahead of Andre Onana of Cameroon and Egypt’s Mohamed El-Shenawy. Morocco too had a splendid night as its benefitted from reaching the semi finals of the World Cup.

Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa were named the Women's Club of the Year after triumphing in the African Women's Champions League for a second time. Egyptian giants Al Ahly, who won a record 11th Champions League title in 2023, won the Men's Club of the Year award.

Full list of winners

Player of the Year (men): Victor Osimhen (Napoli & Nigeria)

Player of the Year (women): Asisat Oshoala (Barcelona & Nigeria)

Coach of the Year (men): Walid Regragui (Morocco)

Coach of the Year (women): Desiree Ellis (South Africa)

National Team of the Year (men): Morocco

National Team of the Year (women): Nigeria

Goalkeeper of the Year (men): Yassine Bounou (Al Hilal & Morocco)

Goalkeeper of the Year (women): Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC & Nigeria)

Young Player of the Year (women): Nesryne El Chad (Lille & Morocco)

Young Player of the Year (men): Lamine Camara (Metz & Senegal)

Club of the Year (women): Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)

Club of the Year (men): Al Ahly (Egypt)

Interclub Player of the Year (women): Fatima Tagnaout (AS FAR & Morocco)

Interclub Player of the Year (men): Percy Tau (Al Ahly & South Africa)