Osimhen Only Nigerian In Exclusive Ballon d’Or Top 10 Club

Victor Osimhen remains the only Nigerian footballer to have finished inside the Ballon d’Or top 10, following his eighth-place finish in 2023.

The Super Eagles striker earned the landmark position after a sensational 2022/23 campaign with Napoli, scoring 26 Serie A goals as the Italian club won their first league title in 33 years.

Osimhen also claimed the Serie A Golden Boot, while his eighth-place finish made him the first Nigerian to break into the prestigious top 10.

He finished ahead of Liverpool and Egypt star Mohamed Salah, who placed 11th that year.

Osimhen’s achievement puts him among a small group of African players who have finished inside the Ballon d’Or top 10.

Liberian legend George Weah remains the only African to win the award, claiming the 1995 prize after his outstanding season with AC Milan.

Senegal’s Sadio Mané came closest to matching Weah when he finished second in 2022, while Egypt’s Salah has recorded four top-five finishes, including fourth place in 2025.

Other Africans to have reached the top 10 include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Riyad Mahrez and Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi.

Hakimi became the latest African to join the group after finishing sixth in 2025, with Salah fourth in the same voting.