By Charles Mgbolu
Just hours after winning Africa’s Best Goalkeeper of the Year Award at the 2023 CAF Awards, Morocco's Yacine Bounou was selected again for another individual award: the 2023 FIFA Award for Best Goalkeeper of the Year.
He joins Nigerian striker and CAF Player of the Year Award winner Victor Osimhen, who had in October been nominated for the prestigious 2023 FIFA Best Male Player Award.
The success of the two stars at the CAF awards has bolstered their fans on social media who are showering praises on them.
Osimhen is seen as a remarkable example of resounding growth, as he literally grew to prominence and football stardom from a humble background.
Fast rising stars
In 2015, he stood on a similar CAF podium to claim the CAF Best Young Player of the Year award.
For his part, Bounou received the 2023 CAF Award as his first such prize but has received strong international recognition, with his nomination for the Ballon D'or in September, for example.
There has been surging support for Osimhen and Bounou from their fans. But will they replicate their successes at the FIFA Awards?
Strong chances
Their fans argue that AFCON wins have further emboldened their chances.
‘’Their talent and hard work have paid off, and he's a role model for other African players. Osimhen's nomination is a testament to the growing talent of African players on the global stage. He is currently the best on the continent, and he deserves this win’’ wrote @dasyp_m on X.
Fans, national team coaches, national team captains, and 300 media members from the various FIFA member nations are all given 25 percent of the total vote to determine who wins the awards in each category.
The fan vote is accessible on FIFA.com, and each fan who creates an account is eligible to cast one vote for each category with the awards to be presented at the ceremony on 15 January 2024 in London.
This is where fans are hoping they can shore up their chances and get their favourites in the top three.
''Africans need to band together to make this work. We only need to get strong influencers in the different voting categories to push the African challengers. It's possible,'' writes Dr Godwin CU also on X.
Too early
But fans such as @DimaMsuthu have pushed sentiments aside, acknowledging that African players are on the right trajectory.
‘’Africa must win World Championships to get recognition. Sport is about winning, not sentiments,’’ he wrote on X.
There are hard truths in his words: Osimhen goes up against formidable football stars such as multiple Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi, Manchester City top scorer Erling Haaland, and football sensation Cristiano Ronaldo, to name a few.
Bounou, on his part, goes against the Brazilian national team, Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson Santana de Morae, Belgium's national team, and Real Madrid shot stopper Thibaut Courtoi.
Most bookkeepers have made up for these categories. But it's football - its unpredictability must never be ruled out.
For now, African football fans are still basking in the news of the CAF Awards, and for some of them, that's all they care about right now.
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