Gift Orban To Become 5th Nigerian To Win CAF Young Player Award

Super Eagles of Nigeria invitee, Gift Orban is on the verge of becoming the Fifth Nigerian to win the prestigious CAF Young Player of the Year award.

A statement on the CAF official website confirmed that Gift Orban is one of the young talented African players nominated for the 2023 CAF men’s Young Player of the Year award.

He was nominated alongside seven other players, which included Bournemouth’s winger Dango Ouattara and Abdessamad Ezzalzouli, a former forward for FC Barcelona.

Souleymane Alio (New Stars FC/Burkina Faso), Ernest Nuamah (Lyon/Ghana), and Bilal El Khannouss (Genk/Morocco), the Senegalese quartet of Lamine Camara (Metz), Papa Amadou Diallo (Metz), Pape Diop (Zulte Waregem), and Amara Diouf (Generation Foot) complete the 10-player shortlist.

Orban was a player for the Norwegian team Stabaek before moving to Belgium to join KAA Gent. He has scored 27 goals and provided two assists in 38 games in all competitions for the Belgian side while he anxiously awaits his Super Eagles debut.

The 21-year-old created history the previous season when he became the first player in any European competition to score three goals within 205 Seconds. Hence, he currently holds the record for the fastest hat-trick in the history of UEFA club competitions.

Gift Orban achieved this feat against Istanbul Basaksehir in the UEFA Europa Conference League in March 2023.

If he manages to win the 2023 CAF Young Player of The Year Award, Gift Orban would join the likes of Asisat Oshoala, Kelechi Iheanacho, Victor Osimhen, and Alex Iwobi, as the only Nigerian players to achieve such a feat.