'A big milestone for me' - Osimhen reacts to being nominated for Ballon d'Or

Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has expressed his happiness at being shortlisted for the Ballon d'Or. 

The Napoli striker was among the 30-man nominees released by the French news magazine, France Football, the organizers of the award on Wednesday.

He becomes the seventh Nigerian to be nominated for the Ballon d'Or with Sunday Oliseh, Victor Ikpeba, Daniel Amokachi, Jay-Jay Okocha, Finidi George and Nwakwo Kanu being the others.

The former Lille forward was named alongside Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah, Cameroonian goalkeeper André Onana and Moroccan shot-stopper Yassine Bounou as the only African players on the shortlist.

Osimhen had a banner season with Napoli last season, establishing himself as one of the most prolific strikers in Europe.

Having proven his goal prowess, he was linked with Manchester United, Chelsea, Bayern Munich and PSG all summer but Napoli refused to relinquish his services.

"It feels good. Glory be to God for this achievement. It is a big milestone for me because my childhood dream is being up there among the  best, it's an amazing feeling for me and I thank those that have been very supportive and very helpful to me, my family also that have stood  by me through the hard times, my friends.

"I'm happy. I dedicate this to God also and this is just the beginning. I will keep working hard to make sure I achieve all my dreams," Osimhen told  Football Fans Tribe.

The Napoli striker has hit the ground running in the Serie A this season, scoring 3 goals in his first three games.

Abdulkareem Abdulhamid

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