Wanyama shortlisted for African Footballer of the Year award
Victor Wanyama in action for Southampton against Chelsea on December 28, 2014. FILE PHOTO | GLYN KIRK |
What you need to know:
- The list published by Caf on its portal on Sunday evening is however dominated by Algeria, who have produced six nominees in Yacini Brahimi (Porto, Portugal), Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City), Faouzi Ghoulam (Napoli), Hillel Soudani (Dynamo Zagreb, Croatia), Bassem Morsi (Zamalek, Egypt and Baghdad Bonjah (Etoile du Sahel, Tunisia).
- Wanyama was first nominated for the awards in 2013 but did not make the final three-man list. The Kenyan captain alongside Sudan’s Modather Al Tayeb are the only players from Eastern Africa in the list.
- Manchester City’s Toure is the current holder, having won the individual accolade for four straight years and will be aiming at setting a record as the first player to have won the gong for five-straight years.
Kenya and Southampton midfielder Victor Wanyama is among 37 nominees for the 2015 Caf African Player of the Year award.
Wanyama, who has enjoyed good form with Southampton and has featured prominently for Kenya in the World Cup and African Cup of Nations qualifiers, will battle it out with African stars led by last year’s winner, Ivorian Yaya Toure, Gabon and Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ghana and Swansea City attacking midfielder Andre Ayew among others.
The list published by Caf on its portal on Sunday evening is however dominated by Algeria, who have produced six nominees in Yacini Brahimi (Porto, Portugal), Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City), Faouzi Ghoulam (Napoli), Hillel Soudani (Dynamo Zagreb, Croatia), Bassem Morsi (Zamalek, Egypt and Baghdad Bonjah (Etoile du Sahel, Tunisia).
Wanyama was first nominated for the awards in 2013 but did not make the final three-man list. The Kenyan captain alongside Sudan’s Modather Al Tayeb are the only players from Eastern Africa in the list.
Manchester City’s Toure is the current holder, having won the individual accolade for four straight years and will be aiming at setting a record as the first player to have won the gong for five-straight years.
Cameroonian Samuel E’too won the gong four times – the first three back-to-back. The 37-man list will be whittled down to three.
