2023 Ballon d’Or: Osimhen, Oshoala, Messi other know fate today

Nigeria International strikers Victor Osimhen as well as Asisat Oshoala would yet know how far they have progressed in the scheme of things as the identities of the 2023 Ballon d’Or award winners are revealed today in Paris.

The 24-old-year Osimhen last season helped Napoli to win the Italian Scudetto for the first since the Diego Maradona era when he contributed some 26 Serie A goals plus another five goals in other competition to be crowned the season’s top scorer.

Oshoala on her part was in the scoring mix as FC Barcelona Femeni claimed the women’s Liga F title and the UEFA Women’s Champions League trophy.

The award ceremony will feature four main categories including three for male players and one of female football excellence, with the reformatted voting criteria focused on the previous season (2022/23) as opposed to the calendar year.

That tweak to the structure has placed Messi as the firm favourite to clinch an incredible eighth Ballon d’Or after leading Argentina to the FIFA World Cup title at the end of 2022.

But it would be interesting to see where Osimhen would finish in an impressive shortlist that also include defending champion Karim Benzema, PSG’s French Star Kylian Mbappe, Man City’s Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne amongst othe

Osimhen at the weekend hinted he would be on Cloud nine should he win the Ballon d’Or one day.

“If one day I could get closer to win it (Ballon d’Or), that would be more than a dream comes true for me. Just playing at this level is already amazing for me. If it comes, it comes,” Osimhen said in an interview on Mario Balotelli’s Twitch Channel, Vox to Box on TV Play.

Meanwhile, Oshoala is in the run against her Barcelona’s teammate and Spain’s 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup winner Aitana Bonmati who is widely being tipped to win the Ballon d’Or Feminin award.

Winners will also be declared for the Kopa Trophy to honour the selected best Under-21 player in men’s football, with Jude Bellingham tipped as the favourite to win the 2023 title ahead of defending champion Gavi as well as the Yashin Trophy for the top selected goalkeeper.