Nigeria: African Footballer of the Year – Why Nigerian Players Are Rising Again

There were 16 barren years before the accolade returned to Nigeria with Osimhen in 2023.

A new era of Nigerian excellence seems to have ignited the African football scene. Ademola Lookman’s triumph as the 2024 CAF Player of the Year, hot on the heels of Victor Osimhen’s victory in 2023, has seen increased excitement and national pride in the green-white-green.

These consecutive wins ended a 16-year drought and raised the question: what awakened the sleeping giants? Is there something magical about…