Ivory Coast skipper Yaya Toure is in the frame to win the African Player of the Year award for the fifth consecutive year.
The Manchester City midfielder has been included in the list of 37 names for the Confederation of African Football’s annual award.
Toure is on the verge of making history here. If he claims a fifth title he will overtake former Barcelona and Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o, who has won the award four times in his career.
Let us take a look at the players nominated for Caf’s player of the year award (taken from BBC):
- Ahmed Musa – CSKA Moscow (Russia) and Nigeria
- Andre Ayew – Swansea City (England) and Ghana
- Aymen Abdennour – Valencia (Spain) and Tunisia
- Baghdad Bounedjah – Etoile du Sahel (Tunisia) and Algeria
- Bassem Morsi – Zamalek (Egypt) and Egypt
- Chrisitian Atsu – Bournemouth (England) and Ghana
- Dieumerci Mbokani – Norwich City (England) and DR Congo
- El Arbi Soudani – Dynamo Zagreb (Croatia) and Algeria
- Faouzi Ghoulam – Napoli (Italy) and Algeria
- Ferebory Dore – Angers (France) and Congo
- Gervinho – Roma (Italy) and Ivory Coast
- Ibrahima Traore – B Monchengladbach (Germany) and Guinea
- Javier Balboa – Al Faisaly (Saudi Arabia) and Equatorial Guinea
- Heldon Ramos – Rio Ave (Portugal) and Cape Verde
- Mame Biram Diouf – Stoke City (England) and Senegal
- Max Gradel – Bournemouth (England) Ivory Coast
- Mehdi Benatia – Bayern Munich (Germany) and Morocco
- Mudather El Tahir ‘Careca’ – Al Hilal (Sudan) and Sudan
- Mohamed Salah – Roma (Italy) and Egypt
- Nicolas Nkoulou – Marseille (France) and Cameroon
- P-Emerick Aubameyang – B Dortmund (Germany) and Gabon
- Robert Kidiaba – TP Mazembe (DR Congo) and DR Congo
- Rudy Gestede – Aston Villa (England) and Benin
- Riyad Mahrez – Leicester City (England) and Algeria
- Sadio Mane – Southampton (England) and Senegal
- Serge Aurier – Paris St Germain (France) and Ivory Coast
- Seydou Keita – Roma (Italy) and Mali
- Sofiane Feghouli – Valencia (Spain) and Algeria
- Stephane Mbia – Trabzonspor (Turkey) and Cameroon
- Thievy Bifouma – Granada (Spain) and Congo
- Victor Wanyama – Southampton (England) and Kenya
- Vincent Aboubakar – Porto (Portugal) and Cameroon
- Vincent Enyeama – Lille (France) and Nigeria
- Yacine Brahimi – Porto (Portugal) and Algeria
- Yannick Bolasie – Crystal Palace (England) and DR Congo
- Yasine Chikhaoui – Al Gharafa (Qatar) and Tunisia
- Yaya Toure – Manchester City (England) and Ivory Coast
As you can see, eleven players from the Premier League have made the initial list. Crystal Palace winger Yannick Bolasie, Southampton duo Victor Wanyama and Sadio Mane, Leicester City’s Riyad Mehrez and Swansea’s high flying forward Andre Ayew are all in all contention to win the prestigious award.
Here are the list of players nominated for Caf’s Africa based Player of the Year award:
List of players nominated for Caf’s Africa-Based Player of the year award:
- Abdeladim Khadrouf – Moghreb Tetouan and Morocco
- Abdelmalek Ziaya – Entente Setif and Algeria
- Ahmed Akaichi – Etoile du Sahel and Tunisia
- A. Carolus – USM Algers (Algeria) and Madagascar
- Baghdd Bounedjah – Etoile du Sahel (Tunisia) and Algeria
- Bakri El Madina – Al Merriekh and Sudan
- Bassem Morsi – Zamalek and Egypt
- Boris Moubhio – AC Leopards and Congo
- Djigui Diarra – Stade Malien and Mali
- Felipe Ovono – Orlando Pirates (South Africa) and Eq Guinea
- Sylvain Gbohouo – TP Mazembe (DR Congo) and Ivory Coast
- Hazem Emam – Zamalek and Egypt
- Hocine Ragued – Esperance and Tunisia
- Kermit Erasmus – Orlando Pirates and South Africa
- Malick Evouna – Al Ahly (Egypt) and Gabon
- Mbwana Samatta – TP Mazembe (DR Congo) and Tanzania
- Mohamed Koffi – Zamalek (Egypt) and Burkina Faso
- Mohamed Meftah – USM Algers and Algeria
- Mudather El Tahir ‘Careca’ – Al Hilal and Sudan
- Oupa Manyisa – Orlando Pirates and South Africa
- Robert Kidiaba – TP Mazembe and DR Congo
- Roger Assale – TP Mazembe (DR Congo) and Ivory Coast
- Thamsanqa Gabuza – Orlando Pirates and South Africa
- Zein Edin Farahat – USM Algers and Algeria
Toure, 32, has been in tremendous form this season for Manchester City, having scored once and further registering four assists in the league already, and he is favourite once again to win the African Player of the Year award. However, he could face strong competition this time from his Ivory Coast team mates – Gervinho, Max Gradel and Serge Aurier; all played a key role in Ivory Coast winning the African Cup of Nations in 2015.
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