CAF Young Player of the Year: Striker Faces Off With Former Barca Star in Heated Battle for Award.

All Eyes on Striker and Ex Barca Star as They Vie for CAF Young Player of the Year Award

Gift Orban, the Gent striker, is up for the CAF Young Player of the Year 2023 

In December, he’ll contend with a former Barcelona player for this prestigious honor. 

Notably, Senegal has the most representations, with four young aspirants making the cut. 

Orban, the Super Eagles star, stands among ten young potentials from Africa vying for the celebrated accolade. 

Orban, recently joining the ranks of KAA Gent from Staebek—a Norwegian team—has proven his worth with exceptional performances. 

The Nigerian dynamo has marked an impressive tally, netting 27 goals in different competitions since being signed by the Belgian team at the dawn of the year.

In a recent report from Complete Sports, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) declared its 10 nominees for the Young Player of the Year Award. The announcement was made on their official X (formerly Twitter) page last Wednesday morning. 

Among those vying for the esteemed award are erstwhile Staebek striker Orban, former Barcelona hotshot Abdessamad ‘Ez Abde’ Ezzalzouli, along with Ghanaian sensation, Ernest Nuamah. Rightly so, these talented young footballers will go head to head for the coveted title. 

The selection pool also features players from Burkina Faso like Dango Quatarra and Souleymane Alio. In addition, it includes Senegalese quartet Pape Diop, Lamine Camara, Amara Diouf and Pape Amadou Diallo, as well as Morocco’s Bilal El Khannouss. 

Orban is a strong competitor for the award, thanks to his striking abilities observed while at Staebek. However, he may encounter a tough challenge from Abde. The latter demonstrated astounding performances playing for Osasuna on loan last season and represented the Moroccan under-23 side immaculately. 

Furthermore, Abde played a key role in leading Osasuna to the Copa del Rey final last season. Although they fell short against the ultimate winners, Real Madrid, his contribution, including a memorable brace in the final from Rodrygo de Goes, leaves an indelible mark.