Three Nigerians, namely, Victor Osimhen, Stanley Nwabali and Daniel Bameyi are amongst players selected in three different categories of the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) awards released yesterday.

Unlike in previous years when Nigerian players dominated most of the categories, only Osimhen was listed amongst the 10 African players shortlisted for the Player of the Year category the Super Eagles striker won in 2023. Ademola Lookman who won the 2024 Award was overlooked this time around as Cameroon’s Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa and Egypt’s Mohamed Salah headline the nominees for the 2025.

Others include; Fiston Mayele (DR Congo/Pyramids); Denis Bouanga (Gabon/Los Angeles FC); Serhou Guirassy (Guinea/Borussia Dortmund); Achraf Hakimi (Morocco/Paris Saint-Germain); Oussama Lamlioui (Morocco/RS Berkane); Iliman Ndiaye (Senegal/Everton) and Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal/Tottenham Hotspur).

Stanley Nwabali, Nigeria’s standout performer at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, earned a deserved spot among the ten nominees for Goalkeeper of the Year, following a series of impressive international and club performances for Chippa United in South Africa.

Flying Eagles Captain, Daniel Bameyi, was nominated among the Young Player of the Year contenders. The 18-year-old defender, now plying his trade with NK Primorje in Slovenia, continues to gain attention for his leadership and maturity at youth international level.