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Former Super Eagles striker Odion Ighalo is the only Nigerian player still in the running for the 2019 Africa Player of the Year award after the shortlist was reduced from 30 to 10, Completesports.com reports.
The names of the 10-man nominees was published on CAF’s verified Twitter handle on Wednesday.
Ighalo’s former Eagles teammates Victor Osimhen and Wilfred Ndidi did not make the 10-man list.
Ighalo will vie for the crown with other notable names who made the cut, namely; Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Riyad Mahrez and Kalidou Koulibaly.
In the Youth Player of the Year category, Osimhen and Samuel Chukwueze are still in the running after the list was trimmed down to five.
Also Read – Ndidi: ” Leicester Will Keep Working” To Continue Premier League Winning Run
Eagles’ coach Gernot Rohr missed out in the five-man list for Men’s Coach of the Year while former Super Falcons handler Thomas Dennerby made the Women’s Coach of the Year.
In the Women’s Player of The Year shortlist, Asisat Oshoala is the only Nigerian now left as Chiamaka Nnadozie and Uchenna Kanu were dropped.
The Super Eagles and Super Falcons were included in the men and women National Team of the Year category respectively.
The shortlist of nominees was decided by votes from a CAF Technical and Development Committee and a panel of media experts with emphasis on the nominees’ performance during the year under review, 2019.
The final phase of voting for the men’s and women’s African Player of the Year, as well as the male and female Coach of the Year, will be selected by Head Coaches/Technical Directors and Captains of senior national teams from CAF member associations.
By James Agberebi
4 Comments
CAF has started their primitivity rating. what is afcon non-qualifying gabon and aubameyang doing in that list? and why is ndidi afcon bronze medalist and epl tackle and interceptionist king not in that list?
Ndidi should be at least in the top ten in my opinion based on consistent performances for both club and country respectively.Rohr not among the best five coaches,wow that’s a surprise.
Meanwhile,this trio should make the final shortlists Mane,Mahrez and Koulibaly.Eventually it’s Mane’s to lose would be surprise if he didn’t nick it.
Greenturf bro, can you just imagine if Leicester City should win the Premier League this season, then will a big shout for our own Ndidi to the African Footballer of the Year next time.
But with the way Liverpool are playing this season, I think expecting Leicester to win the league is a unicorn dream.
Still, if they should make it to the Champions League next season, then Ndidi’s profile will rise further as he would have played a huge role I that.
Standing in his way will be Senegal’s Sadio Mane: that guy is on another planet, a planet I would love many of our wingers to inhabit and dominate.
It has been a long time since we won the African footballer of the year award. It would have almost been a run away conclusion for Ighalo to win it this year but the league he plays his football and the achievements of the likes of Mane and Salah in Europe last season makes this prospect highly unlikely.
It will be good to go back to the days of Kanu, Ikpeba and Co but continental competition is fierce.
I strongly believe Ndidi should be among the favourites considering his current form at Leicister City.