Facts have emerged regarding the voting decisions of coaches and captains from Nigeria’s senior national teams, as well as a representative from the Nigerian media, who did not cast their votes for compatriots Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala at the FIFA Best Football Awards. This occurred despite their impressive performances in 2022. The Best FIFA Football Awards 2022 ceremony, held in Paris on Monday, saw Alexia Putellas, Oshoala’s teammate at Barcelona Feminin, and Lionel Messi recognized as the outstanding players of the past year. The awards are determined by votes from national team captains, coaches, journalists, and fans.
Following the ceremony, FIFA released details of how each captain and coach voted. Notably, Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa did not vote for Osimhen, while Super Falcons captain Onome Ebi overlooked Oshoala in her selection. Osimhen had an exceptional year, scoring 20 goals for Napoli and winning the ‘Emerging Player of the Year’ award at the Globe Soccer Awards, where he triumphed over notable midfielders Gavi and Federico Valverde from Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively. Oshoala also had a remarkable season, winning the Pichichi award as the top scorer in the Spanish league. The five-time African Women’s Player of the Year scored 20 goals in 19 matches for Barcelona Femeni, finishing as a joint-top scorer despite missing two months due to injury. She played a pivotal role in helping her team secure the domestic treble, which included LaLiga, Copa de la Reina, and the Spanish Super Cup.
Despite these impressive statistics, neither Osimhen nor Oshoala received nominations from the quintet of Jose Peseiro (Eagles coach), Randy Waldrum (Falcons coach), Musa, Ebi, and journalist Ibikunle Solaja. In his voting capacity as Nigeria’s coach, Peseiro selected Karim Benzema as his top player, followed by Lionel Messi and Kevin De Bruyne in second and third places, respectively. French coach Didier Deschamps chose Kylian Mbappe as his first choice, with Benzema and Messi following. Egypt’s coach Rui Vitoria opted for Mohamed Salah, with Messi and Mbappe as his second and third picks. Coaches from Brazil and Argentina, Adenor Bachi and Lionel Scaloni, also voted for their players, Neymar and Messi, for the top prize.
Musa mirrored his coach’s selections, neglecting Osimhen in his voting, which included Messi, Benzema, and Mbappe in that order. In contrast, his counterparts from Morocco and France, Romain Saiss and Hugo Lloris, voted differently. Saiss selected his national teammate Achraf Hakimi as his top choice, while Lloris voted for Mbappe, with Benzema and Messi completing his selection. Solaja, representing the Nigerian media, also voted for Messi, with Mbappe and Benzema as his second and third picks.
In the women’s category, neither Falcons coach Waldrum, captain Ebi, nor Solaja voted for Oshoala. Ebi chose her Barcelona teammate Putellas as her first pick, followed by Aitana Bonmatí and Wendie Renard. Waldrum selected Beth Mead as his top choice, with Sam Kerr and Putellas in second and third places. Solaja opted for Alex Morgan, Alexandra Popp, and Leah Williamson.
In response to the voting choices, Atlanta 1996 gold medallist Joseph Dosu expressed that while voters have the right to make their selections, Osimhen and Oshoala deserved recognition for their performances. “It’s their choices,” Dosu stated. “But I think both players should have been given a mention considering their performances last year, especially when we had four personalities from our national teams to each nominate three players. They should have earned a spot, considering what they have done. We saw what other coaches and captains did at the same award, but again, it’s their choices.” Former Falcons star Maureen Mmadu echoed this sentiment, stating, “The players (Osimhen and Oshoala) deserve to be voted for, but that’s their coach and captain’s choices. Overlooking them does not mean that they are not good enough for a place on the list.”
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