Alex Iwobi and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have made the 34-man shortlist for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) 2018 Player of the Year award.
Given they’re up against Liverpool trio, Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and Naby Keita, it’s unlikely they’ll win the gong but it’s still nice to be recognised for a solid 12 months.
Auba has scored 20 goals for Arsenal since joining from Borussia Dortmund, while Iwobi helped Nigeria to the World Cup and has started delivering consistently eye-catching performance under Unai Emery.
Aubameyang won the award in 2015 and has finished in the top three every year since 2014.
Well done to both. The winners will be decided in January.
Nominees for 2018 CAF Player of the Year
Abdelmoumene Djabou (Algeria & ES Setif), Ahmed Gomaa (Egypt & El Masry), Ahmed Musa (Nigeria & Al-Nassr ), Alex Iwobi (Nigeria & Arsenal), Andre Onana (Cameroon & Ajax), Anis Badri (Tunisia & Esperance), Ayoub El Kaabi (Morocco & Hebei China Fortune), Ben Malango (DR Congo & TP Mazembe), Denis Onyango (Uganda & Mamelodi Sundowns), Fanev Andriatsima (Madagascar & Clermont Foot), Franck Kom (Cameroon & Esperance), Jacinto Muondo Dala ‘Gelson’ (Angola & Primeiro de Agosto), Hakim Ziyech (Morocco & Ajax), Idrissa Gueye (Senegal & Everton), Ismail Haddad (Morocco & Wydad Athletic Club), Jean-Marc Makusu Mundele (DR Congo & AS Vita), Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal & Napoli), Mahmoud Benhalib (Morocco & Raja Club Athletic), Mehdi Benatia (Morocco & Juventus), Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Liverpool), Moussa Marega (Mali & Porto), Naby Keita (Guinea & Liverpool), Odion Ighalo (Nigeria & Changchun Yatai, Nigeria), Percy Tau (South Africa & Union Saint-Gilloise), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon & Arsenal), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria & Manchester City), Sadio Mane (Senegal & Liverpool), Taha Khenissi (Tunisia & Esperance), Thomas Partey (Ghana & Atletico Madrid), Wahbi Khazri (Tunisia & Saint-Étienne), Walid Soliman (Egypt & Ahly), Wilfried Zaha (Cote d’Ivoire & Crystal Palace), Yacine Brahimi (Algeria & Porto) Youcef Belaili (Algeria & Esperance)
In other news, the BBC reports that Cameroon has been stripped of hosting next year’s Africa Cup of Nations. CAF officials made the decision on Friday after deciding the country had not made enough progress in preparations for next summer’s tournament.
The competition has been expanded from 16 to 24 teams and is due to be played in June and July for the first time. CAF say they’ll announce a new host country by the end of the year.
Has auba resolves his issues with his national team yet?
Great these guys get the recognition they deserve, both have been fantastic the past year.
Just on that last point. It annoys me that Cameroon has been stripped of hosting the Africa Cup of Nations whilst we simultaneously continue hurtling toward a World Cup in Qatar?
Cameroon won’t get the honour because they are struggling with preparations and meeting ‘compliance’, whereas Qatar will because they can throw money at the event and bury their abysmal human rights (where’s the ‘compliance’ here?) under piles of cash?
Exactly, sir, under piles of cash. In the right pockets.
Money and logic don’t go together
I still have no fucking clue how this Qatar world cup is going to effect the premier league both that season and the season after.
Sahah will win it.
Salah clearly deserved it. Auba and Mane will fight for second and third. Based on that list, El Neny should not only have been included but part of top ten because the list is very very weak. African football has gone down south.
Half the French team should be in that list
Elneny won’t be top 10. Koulibaly, Mané, Salah, Auba, Benatia, Ziyech, Partey, Zaha, Mahrez, Keita. Those are some really good players. Don’t know what you’re talking about really.
My top 5 would be;
Salah
Koulibaly
Mané
Auba
Partey
no elneny?
Too right! How many others have scored in the Nou Camp?
Hey man, why don’t you do Tactics Column frequently? You used to do it in the past. It would be great if you posted that.
Congrats, Auba and Iwobi. Soar to greater heights.
I know that playing the Africa Cup of Nations in the winter was disruptive to European sides with African players, and might have even discouraged top clubs from signing African players, all else being equal. But, there was a pretty good reason for the old schedule (what is the normal temperature in Cameroon in July and August?), and moving the tournament is another example, like the future Super League, of how the big money in top European clubs controls everything.
How is Gervinho not on this list? Five goals in nine games for Parma this season already.