The Confederation of African Football (CAF) have revealed the three footballers who will be considered for the honour of African Player of the Year during the course of 2015.
The three players are Ghanaian Andre Ayew of Swansea City, Gabon international Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who plays for Borussia Dortmund, and Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure from Cote D’Ivoire.
One of those three star players will be crowned Africa’s best player with regards to the year 2015, and the announcement will be made at a gala event in Abuja, Nigeria on Thursday, 7 January 2016.
The victor of the accolade will be decided by a voting process that will include the coaches or technical directors of the 54 national associations affiliated to CAF.
This is a closer look at the three players who will be vying for Africa’s highest individual footballing honour:
Country: Gabon
Club: Borussia Dortmund
The 26-year-old Gabonese striker has been in incredible form this year, with recent times in particular turning out to be a delight for the Dortmund attacker. He scored two hat-tricks in the space of a few days at the end of October, and has been scoring freely for most of the last year, including a goal at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) for his country.
Country: Ghana
Club: Swansea City (previously with Marseille)
The incredibly talented Andre Ayew has made light work of adjusting to the English Premier League following a transfer to Swansea City from Marseille in France. The Ghana international quickly found his scoring touch in the EPL, including a strike on debut against Chelsea. He was the top scorer at the 2015 AFCON, where his side finished as runners up.
Country: Cote D’Ivoire
Club: Manchester City
Toure is a familiar name on this list, and has been honoured as the African Player of the Year for the last four years in a row. The Manchester City midfielder is one of the best talents to emerge from Africa in the last decade, and continues to be a symbol for African success on the world sporting stage. He captained Cote D’Ivoire to the 2015 AFCON title, leading by example with excellent performances throughout the tournament.
