Gift Orban nominated for CAF Young Player of the year award

Gent’s Nigerian forward Gift Emmanuel Orban celebrates after scoring a goal during the UEFA Europa Conference League third qualifying round 1st leg football match between KAA Gent and Pogon Szczecin at the Ghelamco Arena in Gent on August 9, 2023. (Photo: AFP)

Nigerian striker Gift Orban has been nominated for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Young Player of the Year (Men) award scheduled for 11 December 2023 in Marrakech, Morocco.

CAF on Wednesday revealed the list of nominees for the Young Player of the Year, an award for players under the age of 21 with Orban included among ten youngsters.

The nine other nominees are Dango Ouattara (Burkina Faso and Bournemouth), Souleymane Alio (Burkina Faso and New Stars), Ernest Nuamah (Ghana & Olympique Lyonnais) and Abdessamad Ezzalzouli (Morocco and Betis).

Also included are 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).

It is no surprise that Orban made the list as he was actually the highest-scoring Nigerian in Europe during the 2022/23 season.

That is after scoring a total of 38 goals in 45 games for Stabaek of Norway and KAA Gent of Belgium.

He had scored 18 goals in 23 matches across all competitions for Stabaek before departing the Norwegian league club for Belgian First Division A side, Gent in the winter transfer window.

The explosive Orban scored 15 goals in 16 league matches in the second half of the 2022/23 season after joining Gent in January.

Orban did not stop there as the 20-year-old also scored 20 goals in 22 games in all competitions for Gent.

He scored six goals in four