Victor Osimhen, a striker for Napoli and the Super Eagles of Nigeria, placed eighth in the 2023 Men's Ballon d'Or on Monday night. During the 2022–2023 season, Osimhen was on fire, helping Italian football powerhouse Napoli win their first Seria A title in thirty-three years with 25 league goals. He defeated Rafael Leao of AC Milan and Lautaro Martinez of Inter Milan to win the Best Striker in Serie A award.

Napoli advanced to the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals thanks to five goals from Osimhen in six games. His contribution was crucial in securing the Super Eagles' spot in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). With his league goals, he broke George Weah's record for the most goals scored by an African in the Italian league and became the first African to top the Serie A scorers' table. In 24 years, Victor Osimhen is the first Nigerian to receive a nomination in the male category.

The goal-scoring machine breaks the record as the highest-ranked African player and Nigerian player in this year's Ballon d'Or with his eighth-place result. "This is the best result ever for a Napoli player, given that the previous record belonged to Ruud Krol, who ended 15th in 1980," writes journalist Giuseppe Pastore. The following players are included in the top 10: Lionel Messi, Luka Modric, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Vini Jr., Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez, and Kevin de Bruyne.

At the French Balon d'Or award presentation, Super Eagles attacker Victor Osimhen was named as the eighth-best player in the world.

The players' accomplishments for club and nation in the previous season serve as the benchmark for the Balon d'Or honors, and Osimhen excelled in both categories last season. The Super Eagles forward scored 31 goals in 39 games for Napoli during an incredible season.

His genius was crucial to the Partenopeans' first Scudetto in thirty-three years and their first-ever quarterfinal appearance in the UEFA Champions League. Even though he was unable to assist Nigeria in qualifying for the World Cup, Osimhen was excellent for the country and scored lots of goals in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The 24-year-old received a nomination for the Balon d'Or award after an incredible year. Additionally, he was placed seventh in the world during the ceremony.

In addition, he is the only player from Africa in the top 10. He is rated higher than Yassine Bounou and Mohammed Salah, two competitors for the CAF Awards this year. The first-ever Nigerian to rank among the top 10 is Osimhen.