Nigerian striker, Victor Boniface has voiced his disappointment over being left out of the shortlist for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Men’s Player of the Year award.
The list, revealed in October, included Nigerian players Ademola Lookman and William Troost-Ekong, but notably excluded Boniface and fellow striker Victor Osimhen.
Other nominees featured Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi and Sofiane Rahimi, Algeria’s Amine Gouiri, Ivory Coast’s Simon Adingra, DR Congo’s Chancel Mbemba, Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy, Burkina Faso’s Edmond Tapsoba, and South Africa’s Ronwen Williams.
Reacting to the omission in a video shared by sports journalist Pooja on X, Boniface said, “Not sad, but disappointed because I had an amazing season last season, so for me not to be there… maybe the award is for African players in AFCON, I don’t know. But in general, if it’s for African Player of the Year, I think I had a great season.”
Victor Boniface added that while awards are not his focus, he is determined to keep improving.
“I don’t need to prove to anybody; I don’t really care about awards and stuff. But of course, as a football player, I want to improve, I want to do more for myself,” he said.
When asked who he thinks deserves the award, Boniface confidently picked his compatriot, saying, “Lookman, for sure Lookman.”
Watch the video below:
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KanyiDaily recalls that Ademola Lookman and William Troost-Ekong are in the running for the prestigious 2024 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Men’s Player of the Year award.