Victor Osimhen had a bumpy and exciting year with Napoli. It was a year filled with ups and downs, but ultimately one to savour by the Nigerian.
The Super Eagles striker wants to lead Nigeria to its fourth Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast. He had a goal-laden 2023 and would look to repeat the feat in 2024.
The goals of Victor Osimhen led Napoli to its first Serie A title in 33 years.
It was a spectacular feat that drew the attention of some of the top clubs in Europe to him, including Real Madrid, Chelsea and Arsenal.
Did Victor Osimhen finish the year as the African player with the most goals? The Nigerian had competition from some of Africa's best, including Liverpool's Mo Salah.
Osimhen ahead of Salah as Africa's top scorer
It was a monumental 2023 for Victor Osimhen as he bagged several accolades for his outstanding performance.
Aside from leading Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years, the Super Eagles striker finished the season as Capocannoniere with 26 goals.
He also completed his litany of awards with the African Footballer of the Year, beating his closest rivals, Mo Salah and Achraf Hakimi.
Victor Osimhen finished the year with more goals than every other African player in 2023, but how did he fare against his challengers?
We go again this year, praying for green all through. pic.twitter.com/ZKQUlzduFy
— Victor Osimhen (@VictorOsimhennn) January 1, 2024
Victor Osimhen vs Mo Salah
Victor Osimhen
Victor Osimhen started the year with a bang after recovering from an injury in 2022 that kept him on the sidelines for several games.
He went on a goalscoring spree. After failing to score against Inter Milan in Napoli's opening game of the year, where they lost 1-0, he scored 11 goals in nine consecutive matches, including one in the Champions League.
He finished the season with 22 goals before scoring twice against Sierra Leone in a 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification match on June 18.
Several well-documented incidents saw Victor Osimhen start the 2023/24 season slowly.
He scored 12 more goals before the year ended, including one in the Champions League and three in a 6-0 win over São Tomé and Príncipe in a 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification game.
Victor Osimhen finished the year with 35 goals to be Africa's top scorer in 2023.
Mo Salah
Salah gave the former Lille striker a run for his money, but he did not finish second on the chart.
Salah, who lost the African Footballer of the Year award to Osimhen finished the year with 34 goals.
The Egyptian scored 16 goals in the first half of 2023, including two against Malawi in their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification double-header.
🇪🇬 Mo Salah reigned supreme in 2023, being the only player in Europe's top leagues to score 15+ goals and rack up 15+ assists. ⚽️🎯
He is the first player to reach 15 for both goals and assists in a single Premier League calendar year since Thierry Henry in 2003 (25 goals, 19… pic.twitter.com/GNeHUouYdZ
— Football Talk (@FootballTalkHQ) January 1, 2024
Salah's undoing was his inability to score consistently, with his goals well-spaced.
The Liverpool hitman was more prolific in the latter part of the year, as he scored 18 goals to finish the season with 34.
He scored three in the Europa League, 12 in the Premier League, one in the EFL Cup and four in a World Cup qualification game against Djibouti.
A surprise tie with Victor Osimhen
Victor Osimhen topped the chart with 35 goals but was tied at the top by an unknown player.
Little-known Togolese striker Kodjo Fo Doh Laba also scored 35 goals.
The Togolese who joined Al Ain (UAE) has scored 97 goals for the Middle East club in 101 games.
At 31, Kodjo is still banging in the goals. He scored 19 goals in the first half of 2023, including one in a 1-1 draw against Burkina Faso in a 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification match.
He scored 16 more goals in the latter part of the year. He has been the top scorer in the league for two seasons in a row, scoring 26 and 28 goals in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons.
Kodjo Laba is currently the league's top scorer with 11 goals.
Kodjo Fo Doh Laba🇹🇬 avec AL-Ain FC
🎮 121 Matchs
⚽ 103 Buts
🎯 25 Passes Décisives🫡🫡🫡#KodjoLaba #Togo #Laba #AL_Ain pic.twitter.com/UvIlyV5liI
— Football AFRICA🏆 (@PassionfootAF) September 29, 2023
|
AFRICA’S HIGHEST GOAL SCORERS 2023 |
||
| Player |
Club/Country |
No of Goals |
| Victor Osimhen |
Napoli/Nigeria |
35 |
| Kodjo Fo Doh Laba |
Al Ain/Togo |
35 |
| Mohamed Salah |
Liverpool/Egypt |
34 |
| Victor Boniface |
Bayer Leverkusen/Nigeria |
33 |
| Gift Orban |
Gent/Nigeria |
32 |
| Abderrazak Hamdallah |
Al-Ittihad/Morocco |
32 |
| Serhou Guirassy |
Stuttgart/Guinea |
30 |
This article was most recently revised and updated 8 months ago
