Former Togolese forward Emmanuel Adebayor has said Nigerian star Victor Osimhen is a favourite to clinch the 2023 CAF Footballer of the Year award.
Osimhen is in contention with Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah, who is in line for a third African Player of the Year Award and Achraf Hakimi, who was part of the inspirational Moroccan side that became the first African team to progress to the World Cup semi-finals.
He is considered a firm favourite to clinch the crown after a stellar 2022–2023 season with Napoli, guiding them to their first Serie A title triumph in 33 years.
39-year-old Adebayor was the recipient of the most coveted crown in Africa back in 2008, beating the likes of Egyptian legend Mohamed Aboutrika and Ghanaian midfielder Michael Essien.
Adebayor praised the exceptional performance of Napoli’s 24-year-old player during the awards’ opening ceremony on Monday.
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”Let us put it into perspective What Osimhen has done is incredible. It is just like winning the French Ligue 1 with Nantes,’ Adebayor said.
”I’m not saying Napoli is a small team; it is a big team and this team has been struggling for years to win the Scudetto back and they couldn’t but Osimhen was the main player and a key player.”
”Scoring goals week in and week out in England is something we can all do in top form but trust me, it is very, very difficult to replicate in Italy.”
”Because defensively, they are very strong and tactically, and they have the best defenders in the world. ”
On why fellow contenders Salah and Hakimi might not clinch the crown, the former Arsenal player indicated that they had little impact in their various club sides.
”Obviously, for me, Mo Salah’s last season, I won’t say, was a disaster but when you put it together as a club for Liverpool, they didn’t do anything.”
”Now, when you come to Hakimi for the good tournament with Morocco and go to the semi-finals of the World Cup, he also played his part but he was more of a team player; there was no shining star amongst the Moroccan team,” he said.