Nigerian trio, Odion Ighalo, Wilfred Ndidi and Victor Osimhen have been nominated for the 2019 African Player Of The Year Award which winner will emerge at the 2019 CAF Awards ceremony, reports Completesports.com.
Ighalo, who has retired from international football was top scorer at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt with five goals.
Ndidi, who made his 100th Premier League appearance for Leicester City on Saturday has enjoyed a fine season with Foxes with two goals in 12 games.
Young forward, Victor Osimhen who has been courted by a number of European big guns has enjoyed a great start to his career at French club, Lille where he has scored seven goals in 13 league appearances.
They will compete with the likes of Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, Senegal forward, Sadio Mane, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Gabon, Ghana’s Thomas Partey amongst others for the ultimate prize.
In the Women’s category, talented Super Falcons goalkeeper, Chimaka Nnadozie has been nominated for the first time alongside her teammate, Asisat Oshoala who plays for Spanish Liga Iberdola outfit, Barcelona.
Cameroon forwards, Ajara Nchout and Gabrielle Ouguene, Ghana’s Elizabeth Addo, Refiloe Jane of South Africa and Tabitha Chawinga of Malawi are the other nominees in the category.
In the youth player of the year category of the 2019 CAF Awards, Villarreal winger Samuel Chukuweze and Victor Osimhen will go head-to-head with other exciting talents on the continent.
Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, Patson Daka of Zambia, Senegalese duo of Ismaila Sarr and Kreppin Diata as well as Amadou Haidara amongst others are nominated for the award.
For the men’s coach of the year award, Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr has been nominated along with other top national team coaches.
Rohr however has a strong list to contend with at the 2019 CAF Awards; the likes of Teranga Lions of Senegal head coach Aliou Cisse, Djamel Belmadi, the AFCON 2019 winning coach with Algeria, Madagascar coach Nicolas Dupuis and Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa gaffer, Pitso Mosimane.
The other coaches are; Christain Gross, Corentin Martins, Faouzi Benzarti, Moine Chabbani and Mounir Jaouni.
Six coaches are nominated in the women’s coach of the year category with former Super Falcons gaffer Thomas Dennerby among the top contenders.
Indomitable Lioness head coach, Alan Djeumfa, David Ouma who is the Kenyan national team head coach, Bruce Nwepe of Malawi; Banyana Banyana of South Africa handler, Desire Ellis and Cote d’l voire coach Clements Toure.
The 2019 CAF Awards for footballers and officials who have excelled in the year will take place in Egypt on January 7, 2020.
By Adeboye Amosu
9 Comments
On a realistic view Nigeria will not even win a silver spoon. Let the dreamers continue dreaming!
Young footballer of the year….
Oh yes Osimhen Chukuweze!
Nigeria will win 3 awards.
Youth Player of the Year will either go to Chukwueze or Oshimen!
Women Player of the Year is no doubt ASISAT OSHOALA
Women’s Coach of the Year might end up in Dennerby’s hand cuz he has no strong contender
I remembered there was no Nigerian in the last CAF XI…let’s see what it’ll look like this time
caf dont know to give merit. i will not be surprise to see aubameyang in the final 3. where auba score 0% impact with gabon in afcon and present. but may got 70% in club contribution.
though mane merit this award. but ndidi will be runners up in the final3 if leicester keep pace.
CAF footballer of the year should be between Mane and Mahrez. But I think Ighalo deserves to be in the top 3, but his China move may work against him. For me Mane should at least win this one. He has been too consistent yet always missing out.
CAF Young player of the year should go to either Chukwueze or Osimhen , but I tip Osimhen
Women player of the year should be between Asisat and the Cameronian forward Ajara, that was very impressive at the Women World cup. But I tip Asisat
AFOTY – Sadio Mane, Riyahd Mahrez, Baghdad Boundegjah, Mo Salah (in that order)
AWFOTY – Assisat Oshoala, Ajara Nchout, Aboudi Onguene, Jane Refiloe (in that order)
AYFOTY – Victor Osimhen, Achraf Hakimi, Sam Chukwueze, Kreppin Diata
ACOTY – Djamel Belmadi
AWCOTY – Tough one….should be btw Alan Djeumfa and Desire Ellis
But special mention should be made once again of Nicolas Dupuis of Madagascar.
Being nominated amongst the best coaches in Africa for the year, despite not winning anything shows how good he is and how much recognition he has earned for himself being the coach of lowly Madagascar. This is what it means to prove one’s worth.
It’s Crystal clear Nigeria would have to wait for most likely two years before we ever get to see our own winning this award of AFOTY_ After which it may not even leave our shores in a hurry’ cos i see it being past on from One Eagle to Another, like it was all through the 90s’
#Super Eagles is the Future!!!