Now that
the CAF Awards 2025 have come to an end, let’s look back at previous winners
who represented Nigeria at the confederation’s biggest award show. Here’s a
look at Nigerian footballers who have claimed the African Footballer of the
Year title since 1992.
CAF Awards 2025 Recap
This year, Victor Osimhen finished
behind Achraf Hakimi for Footballer of the Year, as many pundits anticipated.
Rasheedat Ajibade also joined Osimhen in second place for the Women’s
Footballer of the Year award, losing it to Ghizlane Chebbak. Chiamaka Nnadozie
stood out by winning Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year for the third consecutive
time. The Super Falcons also won Women’s National Team of the Year.
A symbol of dedication, consistency, and hard-work.
Nnadozie said it herself. Three times in a row isn’t easy. 🧤✨#CAFAwards2025 | @DAZNFootball pic.twitter.com/MBxwlt7Clh
— CAF_Online (@CAF_Online) November 19, 2025
With the
CAF Awards concluded and World Cup qualification behind them, attention now
turns to the Africa Cup of Nations later this year. With Osimhen recovering
from injury, it’s unknown if he’ll be available in December. Both pundits and
fans continue to speculate on whether Nigeria can end the year on a positive
note, with soccer betting markets available for the Super
Eagles’ upcoming fixtures.
Nigeria’s African Footballers of
the Year
Since the
CAF Awards were renamed in 1992, six Nigerian men have claimed the prestigious
title of African Footballer of the Year.
Rashidi Yekini
Rashidi
Yekini, widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s greatest goalscorers, was the first
to win the award in 1993. He was the first player from Nigeria to win the CAF
Awards’ biggest title in 1993, while playing for Vitória de Setúbal. Yekini’s
legacy still stands today, as the Super Eagles’ top scorer with 37 goals.
Emmanuel Amunike
The next year, Emmanuel Amunike carried
the award in 1994 while playing for Sporting CP. Notably, Yekini was
joint-second with future Liberian president George Weah. Amunike would go on to
represent Nigeria at the 1996 Summer Olympics, where he was responsible for the
winning goal that won Nigeria a gold medal.
Nwankwo Kanu + Victor Ikpeba
Nigeria
maintained a strong presence at the CAF Awards throughout the mid-90s, with
Nwankwo Kanu becoming the only player to win two African Footballer of the Year
awards. The first came in 1996, while playing for Internazionale, and the
second in 1999 while playing for Arsenal Football Club in England. He’s the
only Nigerian player to win an Olympic gold medal (1996), UEFA Super Cup, and
UEFA Champions League. Between Kanu’s awards, fellow Olympic gold medallist Victor Ikpeba also claimed the
award in 1997 while at AS Monaco.
Victor Osimhen
Nigeria’s
CAF Awards run came to an end in the ‘90s, as their Olympic dream team matured
and retired from the sport. That changed when Victor Osimhen won the Footballer
of the Year award in 2023 for SSC Napoli. He has since racked up 31 goals for
the Super Eagles, closing in on The Goals Father’s top scorer record.
Ademola Lookman
With Osimhen, Ademola Lookman secured
Nigeria’s latest African Footballer of the Year title in 2024, for Atalanta.
His performance in the UEFA Europe League no doubt played a part, as he scored
a hat-trick that led Atalanta to beat Bayer Leverkusen and take the whole
tournament.
Together Osimhen and Lookman have
brought Nigeria back to CAF’s biggest award show. Although Osimhen did not
secure Footballer of the Year in 2025, recent achievements suggest strong
prospects for future awards and a stronger Nigerian national team for upcoming
tournaments.
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