Izuchukwu OkosiFour players of Nigerian descent, Michael Kayode {Fiorentina}, Samuel Omorodion {Atlético Madrid}, Lesley Ugochukwu {Chelsea} and George Ilenikhena {Royal Antwerp} have been nominated for the 2024 Golden Boy Awards.
The award, established by Italian sports publication, Tuttosport, is presented to the winner {male player} below 21 years-old considered to have been the most impressive during a calendar year (two halves to two separate seasons).
Such a player must also be playing professional football in a European nation’s top tier.
Kayode has been turning heads with his impressive season at the Viola and had been expected to receive a call-up to the Italian national team, same as Omorodion in the La Liga for on-loan club, Deportivo Alaves.
Lesley Ugochukwu is the surprise name on the list as he has had an injury-ravaged campaign at Chelsea and is currently one of several players expected to miss Monday night’s Premier League meeting with Everton.
Ugochukwu, the nephew of former Nigeria international, Onyekachi Apam, has 13 appearances across all competitions this season.
Kayode has made 31 appearances for Fiorentina this season, registering one goal and four assists while Omorodion has nine goals and one assist in 29 appearances in the La Liga.
Ilenikhena is the least watched on television by Nigerian football fans but he has ben impressive this season too for Jupiler Pro League defending champions Royal Antwerp, where has notched up 14 goals and one assist in 42 appearances.
Kayode is the highest ranked player of Nigerian descent among the quartet at 22, while Omorodion, Ilenikhena and Ugochukwu are in 49th, 86th and 97th place respectively.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.
