Nigerian football stars Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala have been shortlisted for the 2023 Ballon d’Or, as their names were released in the nominee list by the organizers France Football on Wednesday.
Osimhen had a brilliant 2022/2023 season as he fired his club Napoli to their first league title in over 30 years, winning the Italian Serie A top scorer award in the process. Oshoala, on the other hand, helped her club Barcelona to win the league and Champions League double, before scoring a memorable goal at the Women’s World Cup in Nigeria’s 3-2 win over Australia.
France Football released a 30-player shortlist for both the men’s and women’s Ballon d’Or, and 10 players each for the Yashin and Kopa awards – given to the best goalkeeper and Under-21 player, respectively.
https://twitter.com/ballondor/status/1699492108141248954?s=20And finally, the nominees for the Kopa Trophy
Here are all of the 2023 Kopa Trophy nominees
— Ballon d'Or (@ballondor) September 6, 2023
🏴 Jude Bellingham @realmadrid
🇪🇸 Gavi @FCBarcelona
🇩🇪 Jamal Musiala @FCBayern
🇫🇷 Eduardo Camavinga @realmadrid
🇪🇸 Pedri @FCBarcelona
🇳🇱 Xavi Simons @RBLeipzig
🇪🇸 Alejandro Balde @FCBarcelona
🇵🇹 Antonio Silva @SLBenfica
🇩🇰… pic.twitter.com/0MDlU5M6hp