Victor Osimhen, the forward for Super Eagles and Napoli, has secured a spot on the esteemed list of the top 100 best footballers in the world for the year 2023. This recognition caps off a remarkable year for Osimhen, who recently earned the prestigious African Footballer of the Year award. Notably, he clinched the 8th position in the 2023 Ballon d’Or, marking the highest rank achieved by a Nigerian footballer in history.
As reported by Four Four Two, the 24-year-old Napoli striker holds the 14th position among the best footballers globally for the outgoing year.
Joining Osimhen in this prestigious lineup is Victor Boniface, the 22-year-old Nigerian striker from Bayer Leverkusen. Despite not securing a spot in the top 50, Boniface has displayed exceptional prowess since joining Bayer Leverkusen. He notably secured the title of best Bundesliga rookie of the month an impressive five consecutive times.
However, despite a stellar season, players like Kieran Trippier of Newcastle United and Marcus Rashford of Manchester United have been rated higher than Boniface.
In a surprising turn, Cristiano Ronaldo, aged 38, who netted 50 goals for both Portugal and Al Nassr, did not make the list. This exclusion sparks discussions regarding the Saudi league, which has been increasingly attracting top players worldwide.
In contrast, Ronaldo’s career rival, Lionel Messi, currently signed with Inter Miami in the Major League Soccer, secured a place on the list and was ranked as high as the 6th best.
The Top 100 Best Footballers in the World for 2023 are as follows:
1. Erling Haaland (Man City)
2. Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
3. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
4. Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
5. Rodri (Man City)
6. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
7. Bernardo Silva (Man City)
8. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
9. Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)
10. Vinicius Jr. (Real Madrid)
11. Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
12. Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich)
13. Kevin De Bruyne (Man City)
14. Victor Osimhen (Napoli)
15. Ilkay Gundogan (Barcelona)
16. William Saliba (Arsenal)
17. Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
18. John Stones (Man City)
19. Rafael Leao (AC Milan)
20. Declan Rice (Arsenal)
21. Allison (Liverpool)
22. Bruno Guimares (Newcastle)
23. Ederson (Man City)
24. Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
25. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli)
26. Ruben Dias (Man City)
27. Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich)
28. Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
29. Kyle Walker (Man City)
30. Son Heung-Min (Tottenham)
31. Xavi Simons (PSV)
32. Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
33. Pedri (Barcelona)
34. Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
35. Warren Zaire-Emery (PSG)
36. Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid)
37. Alejandro Balde (Barcelona)
38. James Maddison (Tottenham)
39. Julian Alvarez (Man City)
40. Kieran Trippier (Newcastle)
41. Ter Stegen (Barcelona)
42. Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton)
43. Luka Modric (Real Madrid)
44. Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad)
45. Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
46. Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona)
47. Kim Min-Jae (Napoli)
48. Randal Kolo-Muani (PSG)
49. Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
50. Mike Maignan (AC Milan)
51. Martinelli (Arsenal)
52. Alphonso Davies (Bayern)
53. Luis Diaz (Liverpool)
54. Kingsley Coman (Bayern)
55. Dusan Vlahovic (Juve)
56. Lois Openda (Lens)
57. Bruno Fernandes (Man United)
58. Alexander Isak (Newcastle)
59. Achraf Hakimi (PSG)
60. Rodrygo (Real Madrid)
61. Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)
62. Santiago Gimenez (Feyenoord)
63. Gavi (Barcelona)
64. Marquinhos (PSG)
65. Toni Kross (Real Madrid)
66. Joao Palhinha (Fulham)
67. Anthony Gordon (Newcastle)
68. Granit Xhaka (Leverkusen)
69. Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid)
70. Theo Hernandez (AC Milan)
71. Sven Botman (Newcastle United)
72. Phil Foden (Man City)
73. Julian Brandt (Dortmund)
74. Dejan Kulusevski (Tottenham)
75. Hakan Calhanoglou (Inter Milan)
76. Moussa Diaby (Aston Villa)
77. Marcus Rashford (Man United)
78. Jack Grealish (Man City)
79. Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool)
80. Victor Boniface (Leverkusen)
81. Federico Valverde (Real Madrid)
82. Raheem Sterling (Chelsea)
83. Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa)
84. Federico Chiesa (Juve)
85. Martin Zubimendi (Real Sociedad)
86. Viktor Gyokeres (Sporting Lisbon)
87. Christopher Nkunku (Chelsea)
88. Ivan Martin (Girona)
89. Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan)
90. Nico Williams (Athletic Club)
91. Serhou Guirassy (Stuttgart)
92. Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea)
93. Olivier Giroud (AC Milan)
94. Isco (Real Betis)
95. Lucas Paqueta (West Ham United)
96. Karim Benzema (Al-Ittihad)
97. Micky van de Ven (Tottenham)
98. Diogo Costa (FC Porto)
99. Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid)
100. Sergio Busquets (Inter Miami)
