Victor Osimhen vs Mohammed Kudus: Breaking down their 2023 performances, who's better?

Super Eagles star, Victor Osimhen added another gong to his rich list of individual awards after being crowned the Player of the Year at the Italian FA Awards on Monday night in Milan.

The Napoli forward could end the year with another piece of individual accolade as he stands favourite to win the 2023 Africa Player of the Year.

Standing between him and the coveted award are former Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez and the reigning king of African football, Sadio Mane.

However, recently Mohammed Kudus seems to have entered the best African players in Europe conversation following his quick start to life in England with West Ham United. The Ghanaian midfielder is already a fan favourite and is gradually carving a cult-hero status at the London Olympic Stadium.

Before arriving in England, Kudus had won everything with Ajax, two league titles, and the KNVB Cup in three seasons. He left on a high after scoring a hat-trick in his last game for the Dutch giants.

There has been talks around his performances and those of Osimhem.

Sports Brief looks at the performances of both players in 2023, and who has had a better run?

Osimhen vs Kudus in the league

Osimhen etched his name as an Italian league legend after leading Napoli to their first-ever league title in 33 years. He also won the Golden Boot award, becoming the first African player to earn that feat.

The Super Eagles forward played 32 matches, with two as a substitute. He had 55 shots on target from a total of 105 shots, and scored 26 goals, leaving him with 24.28 xG, according to Infogol.

The Nigerian also averaged 12 passes per match with a pass completion rate of 71% and had 4 assists.

Meanwhile, Kudus played 30 matches with 11 as a substitute. He had 24 shots on target from a total of 50 shots and scored 11 goals, leaving him with a 10.00 xG. Kudus averaged 21 passes per match with a pass completion rate of 88% and had 3 assists. (Data from Infogol)

Osimhen vs Kudus in the UCL
Osimhen played 6 matches (plus 1 as a sub). He had 8 shots on target from a total of 14 shots and scored 5 goals (4.91 xG). The 24 averaged 8 passes per match with a pass completion rate of 69% and had 0 assists.

On the other hand, Kudus played six games, scoring four goals and providing six assists, per Footy Stats.

Interestingly Osimhen's Napoli and Kudus' Ajax were in the same group, as the Italians beat the Dutch giants to progress to the knockout stages.

Osimhen vs Kudus with the national teams

Kudus enjoyed a decent year with the Black Stars, playing a role at the World Cup, where he emerged as Ghana's best player. He scored two goals and provided one assist at the tournament in Qatar.

Osimhen failed to qualify with Nigeria despite playing in both legs of the play-offs against Ghana. '

However, he was the top scorer in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, scoring ten goals.

Osimhen vs Kudus in the 2023/24 season

Osimhen has battled injuries since the start of the new season, making only ten appearances and scoring six goals in the league. He is yet to score in the UEFA Champions League.

Meanwhile, Kudus is having an amazing start to life in England and has already scored six goals across all competitions for the Hammers.

With only three weeks left for the year to end, both players can look back and be proud of their accomplishments.

However, Osimhen could end it with a bigger accolade in Morocco next week.