Kunle Kuadewale
Super Eagles and Napoli striker, Victor Osimhen is Nigeria and Africa’s most valuable player with an estimated value of €110 million.
Osimhen’s valuation dropped by €10 million from his all-time high of €120 million following Transfermarkt’s latest player update.
Still, the Super Eagles striker remains the top man in Africa, way ahead of Egypt and Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah, who is slapped with an estimated value of €65 million.
The Napoli striker will be the biggest and most celebrated star in Ivory Coast when the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in January.
In third place is Nigeria’s new kid on the block, Victor Boniface, with the Bayer Leverkusen lad boasting a value of €40 million, same as Guinea and Stuttgart ace Serhou Guirassy.
Nigeria international and Atalanta winger Ademola Lookman occupies the 7th position with €30 million, behind Cameroon’s Bryan Mbeumo (5th) and Senegal’s Chelsea ace Nicolas Jackson (6th).
Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi makes it four Nigerians in the top ten, as he is joint-eighth at €28 million alongside Algeria’s Amine Gouiri, while the tenth spot goes to Ivory Coast and Brighton’s Simon Adingra.
Nigeria’s domination continues into the top 20, with OGC Nice’s Terem Moffi is in 13th place, while Nathan Tella and Samuel Chukwueze are fitted on the same rung in 15th.
Head coach Jose Peseiro included all seven Nigerian players on this top 20 list in the Super Eagles’ 40-man provisional roster for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast next month.
Meanwhile, Napoli have announced that Osimhen has been given a day off so he could join his family before leaving for the Super Eagles’ Africa Cup of Nations training camp.
The Partenopeans are preparing for the match against Monza scheduled for Friday at the Maradona Stadium and a training session was held yesterday morning at the SSCN Konami Training Center, with Osimhen part of the players spotted during the workout.
Napoli boss Walter Mazzarri, however will not be able to call upon the services of the Nigeria international for the visit of Monza.
Osimhen was dismissed for a second bookable offence in Napoli’s last match in the Serie A against AS Roma, which triggered an automatic one-game ban, so he’s ineligible to face the Biancorossi.
Taking into account the period in which he will be with the Nigeria national team at their training camp in addition to the clash with Monza, he could miss six matches in the Serie A if the Super Eagles advance to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations, including the trip to AC Milan on February 11.
Osimhen will certainly miss the Supercoppa Italiana, a four team-tournament to be held at the KSU Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia featuring Napoli, Fiorentina, Inter Milan and Lazio.
The 2023 African Footballer of the Year is set to attend his second Africa Cup of Nations having missed the last edition in Cameroon due to injury.
