Nine Nigerian footballers have been nominated for the prestigious Ballon d’Or award since the country’s players first featured among the nominees in 1995.
Finidi George, Daniel Amokachi and Austin ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha became the first Nigerians to receive nominations for the men’s award in 1995.
Finidi finished 21st in the voting, while Amokachi and Okocha also made the shortlist that year.
Nwankwo Kanu was nominated twice, first in 1996 while playing for Arsenal and again in 1999 during his time at Inter Milan.
Victor Ikpeba followed in 1997 after a strong season with AS Monaco, while former Super Eagles captain Sunday Oliseh received a nomination in 1998 as a Juventus player.
Victor Osimhen became the next Nigerian to make the shortlist in 2023 after helping Napoli win the Serie A title. He finished eighth in the final ranking, becoming the highest-ranked Nigerian player in Ballon d’Or history.
Asisat Oshoala also made history in 2023 by becoming the first Nigerian female player to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or in the same year as a Nigerian male player.
Ademola Lookman was the latest Nigerian to receive a nomination, earning a place on the 2024 shortlist after a standout campaign with Atalanta, including his hat-trick in the Europa League final. He eventually finished 14th.
With the 2026 Ballon d’Or shortlist scheduled to be unveiled on September 8, Nigeria could have another representative among the nominees.
