Mohamed Salah pipped to prestigious award after reaching 200 goals for Liverpool

12 December 2023 , 11:10

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Victor Osimhen was crowned as the men's African Footballer of the Year (Image: Getty Images)

Victor Osimhen has pipped Mohamed Salah to be crowned the men's African Footballer of the Year after he helped fire Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years.

The Nigerian topped the division's scoring charts last season after he struck 26 goals during a record-breaking campaign at the Diego Maradona Stadium. Alongside his Serie A exploits, Osimhen struck five times in six Champions League matches in 2022/23.

Osimhen hasn't been as prolific this term, but he still came out on top as Africa's best player, beating competition from Liverpool's Salah and Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi. "It is a dream come true," the 24-year-old said at the ceremony in Marrakesh, Morocco. "I have to thank everybody who has helped me on this journey, and all Africans who have helped to put me on the map despite my faults."

Osimhen becomes the first Nigerian to claim Africa's top football prize since Nwankwo Kanu in 1999. Ex-Liverpool winger Sadio Mane had won the two previous awards in 2019 and 2022, while Samuel Eto'o and Yaya Toure have both won the trophy four times.

Meanwhile, Salah missed out on his third African Footballer of the Year prize despite reaching 200 goals for Liverpool on Saturday. The 31-year-old scored the equaliser for the Reds in their 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace, taking him to that landmark having joined the club from Roma in 2017.

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Although Liverpool finished fifth last season, Salah had a fine individual campaign. He scored 30 goals in 51 appearances in all competitions, and has continued that form into this term. Salah has struck 14 times in 22 games, taking his tally to 200 in 327 for the Reds.

Mohamed Salah has been pipped to the African Footballer of the Year (Getty Images)

Speaking after Liverpool's win over Palace, Klopp hailed Salah for reaching his latest milestone. "[It's] pretty impressive," the Reds boss said. "We carried that shirt already since two weeks with us and now finally we could give it to him. It was pretty much the best moment to score it, to be 100 per cent honest.

"Incredible number for a super-special, super, super-special player. I don't know how often he saved us with a goal he scored in the right moment. It was a pretty loud reception in the dressing room when I gave him the shirt with the 200 on the back.

"Players were asking for a speech, but you have to ask him if he had one, because I [had to] go for media work! I don't know if he had one. But [it's] really special, [I'm] really happy for him now that it's off the shoulder because when you have 199 it's probably different to 198, so now we can go for the next 100."

Also missing out to Osimhen was PSG full-back Hakimi, who impressed for Morocco as they reached the World Cup semi-finals and went on to have an excellent season at the Parc des Princes.

Barcelona forward Asisat Oshoala won the top prize in the women's category after scoring 27 goals for the Spanish outfit in their treble-winning 2022/23 campaign.

Kieran King