10 Nigerian Football Legends Who Won the CAF Player of the Year Award

NIGERIAN CAF MEN’S PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNERS

Following Ademola Lookman’s triumph a few days ago, Nigerian players have now won the award seven times, the second most behind Cameroon.

Rashidi Yekini; 1993

The late Rashidi Yekini is an illustrious African football icon. Yekini was the first Nigerian footballer to win the prestigious award while he was on the books of Portuguese side Vitória de Setúbal. The talented forward spearheaded their promotion charge to the Portuguese top flight. His clinical performances were more than enough to help him clinch the African Footballer of the Year award. Yekini remains Nigeria’s record goalscorer to date. 

Emmanuel Amunike; 1994

Emmanuel Amunike is fondly remembered for scoring the winning goal in the final of the 1996 Olympic Games to help the Nigerian dream team clinch the gold medal against Argentina.

A reasonable portion of his finest moments in a Nigerian shirt happened at the 1994 FIFA World Cup and 1994 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. Emenike famously netted against Italy and Bulgaria at the World Cup. He was a vital part of the Nigerian team that clinched the AFCON 1994 trophy and the Zamalek SC team that defeated Ah Ahly in the final of the CAF Super Cup in 1994. 

His standout performances earned him the African Footballer of the Year award as Nigeria picked up the award on back-to-back occasions for the first time. 

Nwankwo Kanu; 1996 & 1999

Nigeria’s iconic dream team dominated at the 1996 Olympic Games and etched their name into football folklore. Team captain Nwankwo Kanu famously netted a semi-final brace against tournament favourites Brazil, following up on his winner against Hungary in their first group-stage fixture. 

He was a member of the Ajax side that won the Eredivisie and lost to Juventus on penalties in the UEFA Champions League final in the 1995/1996 season.  

Papilo won the African Footballer of the Year award for the second time in 1999, and he became the first Nigerian footballer to win the award on multiple occasions. 

Victor Ikpeba; 1997

The iconic forward put in a number of exceptional performances for AS Monaco in the 1996/1997 season. 

Ikpeba led Monaco to the Ligue 1 title and the Trophee Des Champions, netting a goal in the final against OGC Nice. The Nigerian forward netted thirteen league goals to help them secure the French league title. 

He was unstoppable in the 1996–97 UEFA Cup, netting vital goals for Monaco in the knockout stages.

He netted a goal apiece in the two-legged semi-final tie as Monaco lost to finalists Inter Milan in the semi-final. He finished as the second top scorer in the 1996–97 UEFA Cup. His performances helped him secure the African Footballer of the Year award as Nigeria became the first country to win the award on consecutive occasions twice. 

Victor Osimhen; SSC Napoli, 2023

Victor Osimhen brought an end to Nigeria’s horrendous absence at the CAF Men’s Footballer of the Year awards in 2023 after a stellar season with Italian club SSC Napoli. 

The towering striker led Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years, netting a league-best 26 league goals en route to the trophy win and usurping Samuel Eto’o as the highest-scoring African player in a single Serie A season. 

He became the first African player in history to win the Serie A top scorer and the Serie A Footballer of the Year award in 2023.

Osimhen had a memorable 2023, finishing in eighth place at the 2023 Ballon d’Or awards ceremony, and he became the first Nigerian to make the Ballon d’Or top ten. He was deservedly awarded the African Footballer of the Year award in 2023. It was a national double with Asisat Oshoala, replicating the heroics of Nwankwo Kanu and Mercy Akide-Udoh in 1999. 

Ademola Lookman; 2024

2024 has been filled with unforgettable moments for Ademola Lookman. The winger was a decisive figure for club and country throughout the year. 

Lookman single-handedly handed the 2024 UEFA Europa League title to Atalanta, netting a historic treble against Bayer Leverkusen in the final. His iconic heroics led Atalanta to their maiden European title. Notably, it was the first major honour for the Italian club since 1963. King Ademola Lookman!

Lookman impressed greatly for Nigeria at AFCON 2023, netting a match-winning brace against Cameroon in the round of 16 to lead the Super Eagles to the quarterfinals. He provided the winner against Angola in the quarter-finals and contributed two assists across the tournament as the Super Eagles fell to the Elephants of Ivory Coast in the final. 

Lookman deservedly crowned as the African Footballer of the Year on Monday night, and he became the 40th player to win the much-coveted award. 

NIGERIAN CAF WOMEN’S PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNERS

Nigerians have won the prestigious award on 13 occasions and remain the only country to have won the award on multiple occasions. 

Mercy Akide; 2001

Nigerian midfielder Mercy Akide won the inaugural Women’s African Footballer of the Year award in 2001. The iconic midfielder was included in the IFFHS All-time Africa Women’s Dream Team in 2021. 

Perpetua Nkwocha; 2004, 2005, 2010 & 2011

The former captain of the Super Falcons had an era of absolute dominance at the awards show. 

She won her maiden African Footballer of the Year award in 2004 after helping Nigeria to the 2004 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, netting a record-breaking four goals against Cameroon in the final. 

She finished as the tournament top scorer with a total of nine goals, and she also picked up the top scorer award in the 2006 & 2010 editions, respectively. 

She also clinched the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations trophy on five occasions, contributing to more than half of the West African nation’s trophy haul. 

She became the first female footballer to win the African Footballer of the Year award on multiple occasions, winning the award on consecutive occasions twice. Nkwocha was the outright record holder of the award before she was dethroned by compatriot Asisat Oshoala. She remains the top scorer of the Super Falcons with 80 goals across 99 appearances. 

Cynthia Uwak; 2006 & 2007

Cynthia Uwak became the second female African footballer to win the African Footballer of the Year award on multiple occasions in 2007, following in the footsteps of Perpetua Nkwocha. She was a member of the Nigerian Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) winning team in 2004 & 2006. She netted six goals to help the Super Falcons to the trophy in 2004. Her 2006 WAFCON win preceded her second African Footballer of the Year award in the same year. 

Asisat Oshoala; 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022 & 2023

Asisat Oshoala has had a historic run at the CAF Women Footballer of the Year awards. 

She won the first of her record six titles in 2014 after impressing at the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. She finished as the top goalscorer at the tournament with seven goals and ultimately picked up the Best Player of the Tournament award. She fired Nigeria to the 2014 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations trophy, ending the tournament as the second top goal scorer and the best player of the tournament. 

Agba Baller’s successes at the club level with Arsenal, Dalian Quanjian, FC Barcelona, and The Super Falcons on the international stage paved the way for her to win the prestigious award on five other occasions, becoming the record holder of the award. She matched Perpetua Nkwocha’s record in 2019 and broke her record in 2022. She was succeeded by Zambian footballer Barbra Banda at the CAF 2024 Awards.