Two weeks after he was nominated for the 2023 Ballon d’Or awards, free-scoring Nigerian sensation, Victor Osimhen, has bagged another prestigious nomination after he was shortlisted for the FIFA Men’s Best Player Award at this year’s event.

In the 12-man shortlist released by the world’s football governing body FIFA on Thursday, the 24-year-old forward, who won the Golden Boot as Napoli won the league for the first time in 33 years last season, will be going head-to-head with other top stars for the honour.

Osimhen became the first African to win the Golden Boot in Serie A history with a record 26 league goals scored by a player from the continent in a single season. He was also named the Serie A Best Striker for the 2022/23 season as well as made the Serie A Team of the Season.

Some of the players nominated alongside the Nigerian were two-time winner of the award Lionel Messi, Paris Saint-Germain’s star Kylian Mbappe, Manchester City’s treble winner Erling Haaland and his teammate, Rodri.

Others included in the shortlist include Osimhen Napoli teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, another City’s quartet of Bernardo Silva, Julian Alvarez, IIkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne.

England international Declan Rice, and former Inter Milan midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, completed the 12-man official shortlist – the public can vote for their top three choices on FIFA website.  

The qualification period for the Best FIFA Football Awards 2023 runs from 19 December 2022 to 20 August 2023 (it does not include the FIFA World Cup 2022).