Nigeria Players Abroad
2023 CAF Awards: Gift Orban gets Young Player of the Year nomination
By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde
Nigeria and Gent forward, Gift Orban has been nominated for the 2023 CAF Young Player of the Year award as the Confederation of African Football (CAF) released the nominees list for the 2023 CAF Awards on Wednesday.
The former Stabaek forward will jostle for the prize alongside nine other African young talents.
Nominees for the award include Dango Ouattara (Burkina Faso and Bournemouth), Souleymane Alio (Burkina Faso and New Stars), Ernest Nuamah (Ghana & Olympique Lyonnais), Abdessamad Ezzalzouli (Morocco and Betis), and Bilal El Khannous (Morocco and Genk).
Lamine Camara (Senegal and Generation Foot/Metz), Pape Amadou Diallo (Senegal and Generation Foot/Metz), Pape Demba Diop (Senegal and Zulte Waregem), and Amara Diouf (Senegal and Generation Foot) are the other nominees for the 2023 CAF Young Player of the Year award in the men category.
21-year-old Orban joined Gent last season (2021/2022) and scored 15 goals in 16 Belgian Jupiler Pro League games as well as five goals in six games in the UEFA Europa Conference League.
He is known for his speed, strength, and finishing inside the box. This season, he has scored five goals in seven UEFA Europa Conference League games for Gent and two in nine league games.
Born in Benue State, Nigeria, Orban is of Togolese descent through his mother and is yet to represent Nigeria.
The 2023 CAF Awards Gala is scheduled for 11 December 2023 in Marrakech, Morocco.
