November 1, (THEWILL) – When Harry Kane won the 2026 Ballon d’Or award on Monday, Nigerians had no player in the top 30 list following an underwhelming season for Nigerian players at club and country levels. No Nigerian player has ever made it to the top five nominees in the history of the prestigious award.
Let’s take a look at the Five Highest Ranked Nigerian Players in the history of the Ballon d’Or.
Victor Osimhen (8th) 2023
The Super Eagles poster boy Victor Osimhen achieved the highest ranking for a Nigerian in the history of the Ballon d’Or football award when he finished eighth in the voting in 2023. He earned 24 points following a stellar season when he guided Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years to further establish his importance to the club.
He finished as the highest-placed African player on the 2023 list, ranking ahead of Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, who finished in the 11th position. He became the first Napoli player to finish top 10 in the Ballon d’Or.
Osimhen broke several records for Napoli in 2023, he also won the Serie A Player of the year award, surpassing former AC Milan striker George Weah’s record of 46 Serie A goals, taking his tally to 50. He became the highest-scoring African in the Serie A in a single Serie A season. His 26 goals surpassed the previous African record of 21 goals held by Cameroon legend Samuel Eto’o, who achieved the feat during the 2010/11 season.
Osimhen also won the 2023 CAF Player of the Year Award, adding it to the Serie A Striker of the Year award.
He became the first African footballer to win the Italian Footballers’ Association’s prestigious Player of the Year award.
Nwakwo Kanu (11th) 1996
Kanu enjoyed a stunning year in 1996 when he led the Nigeria’s Olympic football team, which won gold at Atlanta 1996. He was instrumental in the memorable semi-final victory over Brazil, scoring twice in extra time after Nigeria had fallen behind.
At the age of 20, Kanu enjoyed a remarkable year, shortly after Olympics triumph he joined Inter Milan from Ajax.
He was part of the Ajax team that won the 1995/96 Dutch Eredivisie title and reached the 1996 UEFA Champions League final. Kanu also finished eighth in the 1996 World Soccer World Player of the Year voting, receiving three per cent of the votes.
He was listed alongside some of the biggest names in world football, including Ronaldo Nazário, George Weah and Alan Shearer.
Following Kanu’s impressive performances for club and country with 16 combined goals, he finished 11th in the Ballon d’Or voting.
1996 was truly a remarkable year for Nwankwo Kanu, he earned 14 votes.
Kanu remains one of the few Nigerian footballers to receive multiple nominations, having also finished 23rd in 1999 following his move to Arsenal.
Ademola Lookman (14th) 2024
Ademola Lookman enjoyed one of the most productive seasons of his career in 2024, leading Atalanta to their first-ever European trophy with a 3-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the final. Lookman scored a sensational hat-trick in the final to become the first player to score a hat-trick in a Europa League final.
He scored 22 goals and recorded 12 assists for Atalanta in all competitions in that season. He also played a key role in guiding Nigeria to the final of the 2024 Nations Cup in Ivory Coast. He scored three goals for Nigeria in the tournament.
He was selected in the official AFCON 2023 Team of the Tournament.
Lookman earned 82 votes to finish 14th in the Ballon d’Or voting in 2024 to further underline his importance to club and country. He also won the CAF Player of the Year award in that year following his stellar performance for club and country.
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Finidi George (21st) 1995
Finidi George enjoyed a stunning year for Ajax, winning four major trophies to finish 21st in the voting in 1995.
His performances earned him six votes in the 1995 Ballon d’Or rankings, making him one of the first Nigerians to receive significant recognition in the prestigious award.
Daniel Amokachi and Austin Jay-Jay Okocha were also nominated for the award in the same year, although neither received votes. George was part of the Ajax team that conquered Europe, winning the UEFA Champions League and Intercontinental Cup under manager Louis van Gaal.
He also played a key role in Ajax’s successful domestic campaign. He helped Ajax win the 1994/95 Dutch league title, finishing the campaign unbeaten. He was a key part of the Ajax team that won the Champions League, Dutch League, Intercontinental Cup, and the Dutch Super Cup in 1995 under Louis Van Goal. George scored nine goals in 44 appearances in all competitions for Ajax in 1995.
Victor Ikpeba (32nd) 1997
Victor Ikpeba, who is popularly known as The Prince of Monaco enjoyed one of the most productive periods of his career with Monaco, where his goalscoring contributions helped them win the 1996/97 Ligue 1 title.
He scored 12 goals in the Ligue 1 to further establish his importance to the team.
He also scored seven goals in the UEFA Cup to lead Monaco to the semi-finals.
Overall, he scored 20 goals in all competitions for Monaco that year.
Ikpeba won and was named the 1997 African Player of the year, beating the likes of Chad’s Japhet N’Doram and Taribo West.
He became the second Nigerian to win the African Footballer of the Year award after Nwankwo Kanu’s 1996 triumph.
Asisat Oshoala (16th) 2022
Asisat Oshoala made history in 2022 when she became the first African woman to receive a nomination for the Women’s Ballon d’Or, football’s most prestigious individual award.
She finished 16th in the voting with four points, while Barcelona teammate Alexia Putellas won the award for the second consecutive year.
Oshoala enjoyed a prolific year with Barcelona, scoring 20 goals in 19 Spanish league appearances, finishing as the joint-top scorer in the Primera División alongside Geyse Ferreira, who also scored 20 goals but played 27 matches.
She also won the Primera División (Liga F) and the Copa de la Reina trophies for the club in 2022.
Oshoala received another nomination in 2023, becoming the first Nigerian woman to achieve the feat. She finished 20th in the voting.
She scored 21 goals in 28 league appearances during the 2022/23 campaign, contributing to Barcelona’s Spanish league triumph.
She also helped the club win the UEFA Women’s Champions League, scoring in the quarter-final victory over AS Roma, while Barcelona claimed the Spanish Super Cup.
At international level, Oshoala also made headlines during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
She was on target for Nigeria in the 3-2 win over co-hosts Australia in the group stage.
Nigerian players will be hoping to impress to stand a chance to make it to the top 30 nominees of the prestigious award in 2027.
