Andre Ayew only Ghanaian on CAF Player of the Year list
The Confederation of African Football announced its 30-man list for the continent’s best player on Saturday with the West Ham forward being the only Ghanaian.
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Ayew was named in the long list of players eligible to contest for the Caf African Player of the Year Award on Saturday, a year after he finished in third place.
The Ghana midfielder will have to contest against this year’s favourite, Algerian Riyad Mahrez and last year’s winner Gabon’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in a deep field of African talent.
Despite finishing in second place at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015, Ghanaian footballers have been overlooked for the continent’ biggest individual prize. The only time a Ghanaian won the Caf prize was 1992 when maestro Abele Pele Ayew took the diadem.
The closest Ghana has come have been podium finishes for Samuel Kuffuor, Michael Essien and Asamoah Gyan.
Among the list of 30 released by Caf are the Nigerian trio of John Obi Mikel, Ahmed Musa and youngster Kelechi Iheanacho while Cameroon is represented by old warhorse and four-time winner Samuel Eto’o as well as Benjamin Moukandjo.
In the absence of Yaya Toure who had an outburst after being overlooked last year, Ivory Coast is represented by the trio of Gervinho, Serge Aurier and Eric Bailly while Egypt has Mohamed Salah and Mohamed El Neny.
Congolese influence is growing with the duo of Cedric Bakambu and Yannick Bolasie making the least while Sadio Mane and Kalidou Koulibaly represent Senegal.
The North African influence is bolstered by the Algerian duo of El Arabi Hillel Soudani and Islam Slimani who join Mahrez while Aymen Abdennour and Wahbi Khazri represent Tunisia. Mehdi Benatia and Hakim Ziyech are the two Moroccans in the list.
South Africa has the duo of Keegan Dolly and goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune while Zimbabwe has Khama Billiat.
The growth of East African football is signposted by the inclusion of Kenya’s Victor Wanyama, Tanzania’s Mbwana Samatta and Uganda’s Dennis Onyango.
Liberia is represented by the Lone Star William Jebor.
The winner of the prize will be announced at a ceremony in Abuja, Nigeria on January 7, 2017.
