Super Eagles forwards Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman are missing from CAF’s 10-man shortlist for Men’s Player of the Year, even though the ceremony is due in Lagos on Monday 7 December.
The shortlist is Sadio Mané, Ismaïla Sarr and Pape Gueye of Senegal, Achraf Hakimi, Brahim Díaz and Ismaël Saibari of Morocco, Amad Diallo of Ivory Coast, Yoane Wissa of DR Congo, Antoine Semenyo of Ghana and Teboho Mokoena of South Africa, as listed by Complete Sports on 4 November.
Neither Nigerian forward is on it. Lookman, now at Atlético Madrid, has been working through a difficult spell, which Diego Simeone addressed in his comments on the winger before the Bayern Munich game.
What the AFCON numbers say
Lookman had three goals and four assists in six AFCON appearances and made the Team of the Tournament. Osimhen was Nigeria’s top scorer at the finals with four goals and two assists.
That is a sizeable return from two players who carried the Super Eagles attack. Osimhen’s club season has also had its moments, including the derby brace that put him high on Galatasaray’s all-time league scorers list.
Analysis: Why the shortlist leaves them out
Awards lists of this kind usually weigh a full year of club and country form, not one tournament. If that is the yardstick here, a stop-start season for either forward could count against them, however good their AFCON returns were.
The balance of the list also points to a spread of nations: Senegal and Morocco have three names each, with Ivory Coast, DR Congo, Ghana and South Africa making up the rest. A tournament scoring record alone did not secure a place for the Super Eagles pair.
The snub carries some irony with the gala coming to Lagos, where Nigerian fans will watch a night without their two best-known forwards on the men’s list. Both now turn to the Tanzania qualifiers, where a strong November would give them the best answer on the pitch.
