Julius Okorie
Super Eagles duo, Ademola Lookman and William Troost-Ekong, are at the fore front in the race for this year CAF Men’s player of the year award.
The 10-man list dished out by Confederation of African Football (CAF) also has Simon Adingra was part of the Elephants of Cote d Ivoire Squad who lifted the last AFCON after a serious battle with runners up Super Eagles of Nigeria.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe CAF Award recognises players from the African continent who have been exception within a soccer season. Recall that Super Eagles forward, Victor Osimhen, clinched the last edition but was missing in the roll call this time around.
The former Napoli man who has since joined Galatasaray after transfer debacle is gradually returning to his super shape after injury with his new club and looks good to bounce back both for club and country. He missed Super Eagles first leg tie against Libya in Uyo but could be part of the embattled second leg, which CAF is yet to take decision on, after the Libyan authorities forced the game to be put in the cooler following unacceptable treatment of the Super Eagles on arrival in Libya for the second leg.
READ ALSO :CAF Awards: Gusau Hails Osimhen, Oshoala, Nnadozie, Falcons As Nigeria Win Big In Morocco
Lookman played a key role in Atalanta’s UEFA Europa League success last season, securing a hat-trick in the final against Bayer Leverkusen.
The 27-year-old winger also impressed for the Nigerian national team, scoring three goals in seven matches during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). Fingers are pointing to Lookman as potential winner of the gong considering his exploits within the period under consideration.
Troost-Ekong, on the other hand, was named the best player at the 2023 AFCON, where he scored three goals and captained Nigeria to a runner-up finish.
The award ceremony is scheduled to be held in Marrakech, Morocco, on December 16, 2023.
Here Is The Full List Of Men In Running For The Prestigious Award
* Ademola Lookman (Nigeria)
*William Troost-Ekong (Nigeria)
* Edmond Tapsoba (Burkina Faso)
*Chancel Mbemba (Congo)
* Soufiane Rahimi (Morocco)
*Ronwen Williams (South Africa)
*Serhou Guirassy (Guinea)
*Simon Adingra (Cote d’Ivoire)
*Achraf Hakimi (Morocco)
* Amine Gouiri (Algeria)
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
