Nigerian superstars Victor Boniface and Gift Orban missed out on the 2022-2023 Ebony shoe award in Belgium.
Orban was voted third behind his compatriot and winner Mike Tresor who is a Belgian of Congolese origin.
Gent’s Gift Emmanuel Orban celebrates after scoring. (Photo by VIRGINIE LEFOUR/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)
The Ebony shoe award is given annually to the best African or African-origin player in the Belgian Pro League.
Despite missing out on the award, it was a fantastic achievement for them to be in the top three, especially Gift Orban who only arrived during the winter Mercato.
Orban is the biggest brand in Belgian football at the moment, the Gent striker scored 20 goals in 20 games across all competitions.
On his part, Victor Boniface is an integral part of the title-chasing Union Saint-Gilloise, recording 9 goals and 7 assists in 34 matches for the club.
Trésor the overall winner has 23 assists this season, a record in the Belgian league.
Trésor follows in the footsteps of, Daniel Amokachi (1992), Aruna Dindane (2003), and Dieumerci Mbokani (2012 and 2020), who previously received the award.
He’s also the third Genk player in five years to clinch the award after Ally Samatta in 2019, and Paul Onuachu two years ago.
