🏆 Ballon d'OneFootball: From exciting to elite in 9th ... | OneFootball

Welcome to the fourth annual edition of the Ballon d’OneFootball as we continue our countdown of the top 25 players in the world right now. Here’s an explainer how we decided on a top 25.

Here’s the list so far.

And today we have …

9th: Victor Osimhen, Napoli and Nigeria

(New entry)

Prior to 2022/23, Osimhen was regarded as a player with big potential who had yet to put his many attributes together to take his game to the next level.

Then came a campaign for the ages, both for himself and Napoli as he smashed through his glass ceiling to deliver a long-awaited Serie A title for the long-suffering southern city.

His game changed, adapting himself under Luciano Spalletti’s system to become more of a pure, penalty box centre-forward, previously being utilised in several different ways throughout his spells in Germany, France and Italy.

It was a masterstroke.

Tasked with ensuring he was on the end of moves more than ever before, the 24-year-old reaped the rewards. No player in Europe’s top five leagues attempted more shots from inside the penalty than he did, with 121 of his 135 efforts coming from that area.

In Serie A, those attempts resulted in 26 goals – making him the top scoring African for a single season in Italian top flight history, surpassing Samuel Eto’o’s previous high of 21 with ease.

He also owes a debt of considerable gratitude to Khvicha Kvarataskhelia, who not only directed defensive attention away from Osimhen and onto himself but who also teed him up for six of his league goals: no player had more assists for a single team-mate.

His composure in the penalty area also improved considerably, his aerial presence instilling considerable fear into opposition players (see his header against Spezia as proof), while his touch and ruthlessness saw him blast home a goal of the season contender volley against Roma.

The previously perceived weakness regarding his finishing is now a thing of the past.

As for his overall numbers, they stack up with the continent’s best marksmen.

Among players to hit double figures in Europe’s top five divisions, only Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé had a better goals-per-minute ratio than Osimhen’s 99.

In addition to his 26 domestic goals, he also added five in the Champions League to surpass his best ever scoring season by 11 goals and elevate himself to the status of an elite striker.

“He’s already a top player,” Spalletti said prior to his Napoli exit in May. “But he’s going to get even better.”

Just how much better?

Click here for every player named so far and their profiles.