Osimhen beats Real Madrid star to win Player of the Year award

Super Eagles and Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen has been officially crowned "Footballer of the Year" at the 72nd annual Milliyet Sports Awards, widely regarded as the "Oscars of sports" in Turkey. 

According to Oda TV, the former Napoli man was named as the Player of the Year in a prestigious ceremony held at Istanbul's Volkswagen Arena on Thursday, April 2nd.

The Nigerian star was physically absent, as he is currently recuperating from recent arm surgery following a fracture. In his absence, his Galatasaray teammate Uğurcan Çakır accepted the accolade on his behalf.

Despite being sidelined, a delighted Osimhen addressed the attendees via video link to express his gratitude. “Thank you for the award," he said. "I want to thank everyone. Thank you to my club, the fans, my teammates, and the management. Thank you for your support."

Osimhen's prestigious recognition is the direct result of an incredibly dominant 2025 calendar year, during which he permanently transferred from Napoli and completely terrorised opposition defences. 

His prolific goalscoring was the catalyst for Galatasaray securing the 2024/25 Süper Lig title, a milestone 25th Super Lig triumph. 

Over the course of that championship-winning campaign, Osimhen registered a staggering 26 goals and four assists in 30 league appearances, alongside six goals in seven UEFA Europa League matches and five goals in the Turkish Cup. 

His explosive form has carried seamlessly into the current 2025/2026 season; before his unfortunate arm injury, he had already amassed 12 goals and four assists in 19 Süper Lig matches, plus an exceptional seven goals and three assists in 10 UEFA Champions League appearances. 

By delivering these elite, consistent numbers across all competitions, Osimhen successfully fended off fierce competition for the Milliyet award from a world-class nominee list that included Real Madrid's Arda Güler, Inter Milan's Hakan Çalhanoğlu, and Juventus's Kenan Yıldız.