Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga is among Africa’s football greats nominated for the prestigious Africa Golden Awards Best Footballer of the Year 2025.Olunga will be in contention for the award alongside notable figures in world football, including Senegal’s finest Sadio Mané, his former Liverpool teammate and Egypt international Mohamed Salah, Africa’s Best Player and UEFA Europa League winner Ademola Lookman.##NAJAVA_MECA_8822908##Also part of the nominees are South Africa’s Percy Tau, Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez, Senegal’s Kalidou Koulibaly, Manchester United’s Eric Bailly, Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, Arsenal’s midfield anchor Thomas Partey, and Manchester United goalkeeper André Onana.Follow Our WhatsApp Channel For More News!!!Other contenders include Ivory Coast’s Franck Kessié, Young Africans’ (Yanga SC) Stephane Aziz, Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, and West Ham United’s Ghanaian sensation Mohammed Kudus.##NAJAVA_MECA_8822908##The Africa Golden Awards aim to celebrate African culture and brands across all walks of life, with the sports category specifically recognizing African players who had a stellar season in 2024.The voting process started on Sunday, 9 March, and will continue until Monday, 21 April, with the award gala set for Saturday, 3 May, at Elmara Ole Sereni in Nairobi. The overall winner will receive a grand prize of Ksh 4,523,750. View this post on Instagram A post shared by A.G.A (@africagoldenawards) During the 2024/2025 Qatar Stars League season, Olunga made 16 appearances for Al-Duhail SC, netting 11 goals.This translates to an impressive average of 0.77 goals per 90 minutes. Additionally, he provided one assist and received two yellow cards during this period.Kasarani Stadium roof complete in latest update ahead of CHAN [VIDEO]On November 1, 2024, Olunga became Al-Duhail’s all-time leading scorer, reaching a milestone of 121 goals across all competitions.This achievement was marked during Al-Duhail’s 6-2 victory over Al Shamal, where Olunga also contributed an assist.On the international front, Olunga continued his stellar form. In March 2024, he participated in the Four Nations Football Tournament held in Lilongwe, Malawi.##NAJAVA_MECA_8825887##Over two matches, he scored a remarkable five goals, including a hat-trick against Malawi on March 26, leading Kenya to a 3-1 victory.Furthermore, on October 11, 2024, during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, Olunga scored Kenya’s sole goal in a match against Cameroon in Douala, although Kenya suffered a 4-1 defeat.Apart from Olunga, Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Director of Technical Development Francis Kimanzi has also been nominated for the Best Coach of the Year Award.Kimanzi led Harambee Stars in the 2025 Mapinduzi Cup edition in Zanzibar at the start of the year.Gor Mahia captain discusses title chances after dropping points against AFC LeopardsThe former Tusker FC head coach will be up against Kenya’s new coach, South African Benni McCarthy, who has guided the Stars in two games so far, picking up a draw against The Gambia and losing 2-1 to Gabon at Nyayo Stadium in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.Others in contention include Senegal’s Aliou Cissé, Ghana’s Otto Addo, FC Talanta head coach Jackline Juma, the legendary Pitso Mosimane, and Kwesi Appiah of Sudan, among other top coaches.Betting firm Mozzart Bet has also been nominated under the category of Most Popular Betting Site in Africa 2025.MOST POPULAR BETTING SITE 2025#AfricaGoldenAwards 🌟 The moment is here! Your favorite nominees are counting on YOU to bring home the win. 🏆 Show your support and cast your vote NOW at https://t.co/XyUc8SkZzc! Every vote counts—let’s make them proud! 💫 #VoteNow pic.twitter.com/MdMtJMaBBA— Africa Golden Awards (@africagolden_) March 18, 2025
