Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface has responded to the surprise omission of his name from the recently announced CAF African Player of the Year nominees list, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) unveiled the ten players in contention for the prestigious individual award on Thursday.
Among the names were Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman, who had an outstanding season with Atalanta, and William Troost-Ekong, the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Best Player.
Also making the list were South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams and Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy, who excelled with Stuttgart before joining Borussia Dortmund.
However, the absence of some notable stars has raised eyebrows.
Reigning African Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen will not have the opportunity to defend his crown.
Another surprise exclusion was Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz, who played a part in his team’s UEFA Champions League victory.
Perhaps the most significant snub was that of Bayer Leverkusen forward Victor Boniface.
The Nigerian had an exceptional debut season in Germany, scoring 21 goals and providing 10 assists as Leverkusen claimed both the Bundesliga title and the DFB-Pokal.
Boniface’s remarkable contributions also earned him the Bundesliga Rookie of the Season award and a place in the Bundesliga Team of the Season.
Unfortunately, injury sidelined him from Nigeria’s AFCON campaign, where the Super Eagles finished as runners-up.
Boniface addressed his exclusion in a lighthearted manner, reacting to a post on Twitter that expressed surprise at his omission.
The Nigerian striker humorously acknowledged that missing the AFCON likely played a role in his snub and joked that he was waiting to win a different prize – the “Memes d’Or.”
Rookie of the season
Team of the season
No worry I no play AFCON
Na why I dey wait for memes d or— Victor Boniface (@boniface_jrn) October 24, 2024
Boniface tweeted: “Rookie of the season. Team of the season. No worry I no play AFCON. Na why I dey wait for memes d’or.”
Full List of CAF Africa Player of the Year Nominees:
- Ademola Lookman (Nigeria, Atalanta)
- William Troost-Ekong (Nigeria, Al Kholood)
- Chancel Mbemba (DR Congo, Olympique Marseille)
- Achraf Hakimi (Morocco, Paris Saint-Germain)
- Serhou Guirassy (Guinea, Borussia Dortmund)
- Simon Adingra (Côte d’Ivoire, Brighton & Hove Albion)
- Edmond Tapsoba (Burkina Faso, Bayer Leverkusen)
- Amine Gouiri (Algeria, Stade Rennais)
- Ronwen Williams (South Africa, Mamelodi Sundowns)
- Soufiane Rahimi (Morocco, Al Ain FC)