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Former Mercurial Super Eagles Midfielder, Austin Okocha has tipped Napoli forward, Victor Osimhem to be crowned the next African footballer of the year.
Osimhen has been highly inspirational for Napoli this season, scoring a couple of goals and topping the Serie A scorer’s chart.
The former Lille forward is currently the top scorer in the Italian topflight, having scored 17 goals in 18 games for the Parthenopeans.
Former midfield maestro Okocha believes the ex-Lille star is a strong contender for the prestigious African award and also expressed confidence in his chances of winning it.
“Yes definitely, I think he is the best player in Africa right now and I have no doubt that he is a very strong contender for that award,” Okocha told newsmen.
The former Paris Saint-German star noted that Osimhen’s hunger for goals stood him out among other strikers in Europe.
“Osimmeh is hungry to score goals and shoots smartly when he playing. It’s not something that you can learn, it comes naturally, maybe when you grow up in this side of the world, you learn on the streets how to fetch for yourself.
“You can see in Osimhen’s eyes the hunger for success and I think that is what is driving him.”
Osimhen’s exceptional performance has attracted interests from top clubs in the Premier League, with Manchester United and Chelsea keen on signing the Nigerian striker in the summer.
The 24-year-old was linked with a move to Old Trafford in January but turned down the chance of joining the Red Devils.
Osimhen’s impressive form earned him Serie A’s best player of the month for January, while he was also named the winner of the Serie A Goal of The Month award for his stunning Pele-like goal against Roma in the same month under review.
His 17 goals in 18 games has helped Napoli to stay on top of the Serie A standing thereby putting the club at a vantage position to win the scudetto first time in over 30 years.