The Confederation of African Football (CAF) unveiled the final 2024 African Player of the Year award shortlist.Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman, who has been on the rise over the past year, will compete for the top honour against Borussia Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy, Paris Saint-Germain’s Achraf Hakimi among other top African talentsThe Atalanta winger played a crucial role in Nigeria’s second-place finish at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).##NAJAVA_MECA_8511343##He also made history at the club level by scoring a remarkable hat-trick in the Europa League final, leading Atalanta to their first-ever European trophy.His stellar performances earned him 14th place in the 2024 Ballon d’Or rankings.Joining Lookman, Hakimi and Guirassy on the prestigious list is South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, who has delivered standout performances for both club and country.Ivory Coast’s Simon Adingra completes the listNotably, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah did not make the final cut despite another outstanding season at the club level.The battle for the last three AFCON tickets begins!However, one surprising omission from the shortlist is Nigeria’s William Troost-Ekong.Although he was part of the initial 10-man lineup and named Most Valuable Player at AFCON 2023 after leading Nigeria to a silver medal, his inconsistent club performances—largely due to injuries during his final months in Greece—kept him out of the final selection.The winners in all categories will be honored at a grand ceremony on December 16 in Marrakesh, Morocco. The ceremony will celebrate excellence in African football across both men’s and women’s competitions.Cristiano gets African company?CAF has also announced several other award categories, including Goalkeeper of the Year, Interclub Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Young Player of the Year, Club of the Year, and National Team of the Year.Each category has been narrowed down to the top five candidates, teams, and coaches.The 2024 CAF Awards will recognize outstanding performances from January to October 2024, culminating in the prestigious CAF African Player of the Year awards for both men and women.##NAJAVA_MECA_8512192##PLAYER OF THE YEARSimon Adingra (Cote d’Ivoire / Brighton & Hove Albion)Serhou Guirassy (Guinea / Borussia Dortmund)Achraf Hakimi (Morocco / Paris Saint-Germain)Ademola Lookman (Nigeria / Atalanta)Ronwen Williams (South Africa / Mamelodi Sundowns)GOALKEEPER OF THE YEARAndre Onana (Cameroon / Manchester United)Yahia Fofana (Cote d’Ivoire / Angers SCO)Mostafa Shobeir (Egypt / Al Ahly)Stanley Nwabali (Nigeria / Chippa United)Ronwen Wlliams (South Africa / Mamelodi Sundowns)COACH OF THE YEARPedro Goncalves (Angola)Emerse Fae (Cote d’Ivoire)Sebastien Desabre (DR Congo)Marcel Koller (Al Ahly)Hugo Broos (South AfricaYOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEARKarim Konate (Cote d’Ivoire / Salzburg)Oumar Diakite (Cote d’Ivoire / Reims)Yankuba Minteh (Gambia / Brighton & Hove Albion)Eliesse Ben Seghir (Morocco / AS Monaco)Lamine Camara (Senegal / AS Monaco)INTERCLUB PLAYER OF THE YEARIssoufou Dayo (Burkina Faso / RS Berkane)Ahmed Sayed ‘Zizo’ (Egypt / Zamalek)Hussein El Shahat (Egypt / Al Ahly)Mostafa Shobeir (Egypt / Al Ahly)Ronwen Wlliams (South Africa / Mamelodi Sundowns)
