Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman of the Super Eagles have been overlooked for the end-of-season accolades because neither player was nominated by Italy’s football federation for the division’s annual MVP award.
On Wednesday, Serie A officially unveiled the list of players for the end-of-season honours, but no Nigerian made the shortlist.
The current Serie A awards structure, now in its sixth season, contains several categories, including equal prizes for goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and attackers, as well as the league’s overall MVP, who will be announced directly, without a shortlist, on May 24.
For the best striker award, AC Milan’s Rafael Leao, Roma’s Paulo Dybala, and Juventus’ top scorer Dusan Vlahovic were the three players shortlisted, leaving no room for the previous season’s champion, Osimhen.
Last year, Osimhen, the division’s leading goalscorer, was named Striker of the Year, while his teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia took home the overall MVP award.
While he was not as prolific as he was last season, when he finished as Serie A’s leading scorer with 26 goals, Osimhen still has respectable figures given how badly Napoli has struggled.
In 24 appearances in the Italian league, he scored 15 goals and assisted three times, finishing the season as Napoli’s best player.
Despite enjoying his greatest season to date, Lookman was ignored in favour of Atalanta playmaker-in-chief Teun Koopmeiners, Scudetto winner Hakan Calhanoglu, and Milan wideman Christian Pulisic for the best midfielder accolade.
The former Leicester City forward has scored 15 goals in 29 league appearances and led Atalanta to the finals of the Italian Cup and Europa League.
Lookman’s hattrick on Wednesday, helped Atlanta clinch the Europa cup against unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen.
Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni is on the Lega Serie A Defender of the Year shortlist, along with Juventus and Bologna centre-backs Gleison Bremer and Riccardo Calafiori.
Juventus’ Wojciech Szczesny, Monza’s Michele Di Gregorio, and Atalanta’s Marco Carnesecchi will all compete for the best custodian title.
Matias Soule, a Juventus loanee from Frosinone, Torino winger Raoul Bellanova, and Bologna’s top scorer Joshua Zirkzee are among the candidates for Young Player of the Year honours.
According to Serie A, the awards are based on a variety of variables, including monitoring data statistics and the ‘scientifically proven’ player rating system, which assesses players’ in-game impact, movement, and decision-making abilities.
