Victor Osimhen, a fighter who gives his all, has been unlucky at AFCON 2023. He has scored just one goal. Despite this, he remains the favorite to win the title of best player of the competition.
In principle, the best player of the AFCON should be in the ranks of Nigeria or Côte d'Ivoire. At least since 1970 and the coronation of Ivorian striker Laurent Pokou, whose team finished 4th, all winners of the trophy have been champions or runners-up. Will there be an exception to the rule for this 34th edition? Certainly not, because even if he has been a little unlucky in front of goal over the last three weeks, Victor Osimhen seems to have outdistanced his rivals. The Ballon d'Or 2023 winner is one of a long list of stars to have made an early exit from the competition. He may have scored just one goal, Nigeria's first in Côte d'Ivoire, but he has had a big impact on the Super Eagles' progress.
In addition to his ability to make opposing defenses suffer, Victor Osimhen was involved in almost every one of Nigeria's goals. Against Equatorial Guinea, he scored the equaliser (1-1). Against Côte d'Ivoire in the group stage (1-0) and South Africa in the semi-final (1-1, tab 4-2), the Neapolitan won the penalties converted by his captain Troost-Ekong.Against Guinea Bissau in the group stage, he pushed defender Opa Sangante to score an own goal (1-0). And against Cameroon in the Round of 8, he provided the decisive assist for the opening goal (2-0). His involvement proves once again that strikers can be influential without even scoring goals. For the Ivorians, on the other hand, there isn't a single name that stands out. Seko Fofana played in all the matches, without always performing well.For example, he made it through the semi-final against the DRC. However, an XXL performance in the final could perhaps put him on a par with Victor Osimhen.
