Who will be named 2025 AFCON MVP? Osimhen and Aubameyang make predictions
Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen and Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have shared their predictions for who might win the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
In the 2023 AFCON in Côte d’Ivoire, Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong surprised many by winning the MVP award. Despite the presence of top players like Mohamed Salah of Egypt, Ademola Lookman of Nigeria, and Sébastien Haller of Ivory Coast, Troost-Ekong stood out and claimed the prestigious title. He scored three goals and led Nigeria to their first AFCON final in ten years. This made him the first defender to win the award since Cameroon’s Rigobert Song in 2002.
As preparations for the 2025 AFCON, which will be hosted in Morocco, continue, 24 teams have secured their spots. The competition will see Africa’s best players not only fighting for the trophy but also for individual honours.
When asked by CAF to predict the MVP of the 2025 AFCON, two of the tournament’s top players, Osimhen and Aubameyang, confidently backed themselves. Osimhen, the 2023 African Footballer of the Year and Galatasaray striker, simply said, “Myself,” when asked who he thought would be Player of the Tournament.
Aubameyang, Gabon’s all-time leading scorer with 33 goals, also backed himself. He replied, “If I’m there, I will be the player of the tournament. Write it down.”
Aubameyang, who will be 36 when the AFCON begins in December, was the first Gabonese player to win the African Footballer of the Year award.
For Osimhen, the 2025 AFCON will be his third appearance. He won a bronze medal in 2019 and silver in 2023.
