When Victor Osimhen declared his dream of winning CAF Player of the Year Award

Nigeria's star man stands on the threshold of fulfilling his dream.

Victor Osimhen will be up against Egypt's Mohamed Salah and Morocco's Achraf Hakimi for the CAF Player of the Year Award.

The 2023 CAF Awards will be held in Marrakech on the evening of December 11, with accolades in a total of 14 categories needing to be handed out.

Fans and pundits expect the Serie A winner to get the nod as he was Napoli's top scorer in their first Scudetto win since the days of Diego Maradona.

Back in April, with the title looming, Osimhen gave an interview to the Daily Mail following links with a move to the Premier League that summer.

He spoke of his journey from Nigeria through to Naples and revealed his underlying ambition. The Daily Mail quoted Osimhen as saying:

"I am not going to lie, it would be my dream to win African footballer of the year. As an African, you dream of this prize and maybe I can win."

Nwankwo Kanu was the last Nigerian to receive the honour in 1999, but it is an Ivorian who has given him great support since his emergence on the world stage.

Osimhen says that 2009 African Player of the Year, Didier Drogba has been an inspiration to him, stating that the former Chelsea man constantly offers advice and praise via social media.

"He's a hero in his country, he's played to the highest level, won a lot and made African youngsters dream. He's a busy man but whenever he sees my messages on Instagram he replies immediately. It's a great feeling."