Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo has made the 10-man shortlist for the 2019 African Player of the Year while two of his former Super Eagles teammates Wilfred Ndidi and Victor Osimhen are out of the running.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) had released a 30-man shortlist for the award which they have now reduced to 10.
Only Ighalo who finished as the highest goalscorer at the 2019 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) is the only Nigerian who made the 10-man shortlist.
3⃣0⃣ ➡ 1⃣0⃣
The list of Africa's elite now has 10 names 🌎🔝
Who'll be crowned African Player of the Year? 🏆 #CAFAwards2019 pic.twitter.com/qqrhq25vMN
— CAF_Online (@CAF_Online) December 4, 2019
Beow are the nominees;
Cameroon and Ajax goalkeeper André Onana, Morrocan forward Hakim Ziyech who plays for Ajax, Algeria and AC Milan midfielder Ismail Bennacer, Napoli and Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly, Egypt and Liverpool star Mohamed Salah, Gabon and Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Algeria and Manchester City forward Riyad Mahrez, Senegal and Liverpool forward Sadio Mane and Algeria player Youcef Belaile are the other players in the shortlist.
The nominees will be reduced to the final three before the CAF Awards 2019 ceremony.
Youth Player of the Year
In the Youth Player of the Year category, Super Eagles stars Samuel Chukwueze and Victor Osimhen are also in the shortlist that has been cut from 16 players to five.
Morocco and Borussia Dortmund Achraf Hakimi, Kreplin Diatta of Senegal and Club Brugge and Moussa Djenepo of Mali and Southampton are the other nominees.
For Men’s Coach of the Year, Super Eagles boss Gernot Rohr has been cut from the new shortlist.
Rohr was in the 10-man shortlist released in November but the German coach did not make the nominations that have been cut to five.
AFON 2019 winning coach Djamel Belmadi, Aliou Cisse of Senegal who were beaten in the final by Algeria, Christian Groos, the Swiss coach who led Zamalek of Egypt to the 2019 Confederations Cup title, Moïne Chaâbani, the Tunisian coach who led Esperance to a league and CAF Champions League double and Nicolas Dupuis, the French coach who led Madagascar to the quarterfinals of Egypt 2019, their first-ever AFCON appearance.
