The CAF African Player of the Year Award once again comes into the spotlight today, with the continent’s top individual football honour scheduled to be handed out tonight, Wednesday, in Rabat, Morocco.
For years, the award has celebrated the emergence of legendary African footballers whose contributions have influenced the global game — from Abedi Pelé in the early 1990s to stars like Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Touré, Mohamed Salah, and the latest recipient, Ademola Lookman.
This year’s ceremony is expected to deliver another fiercely contested outcome, as the finalists have all made significant impacts across major European competitions.
Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen, last year’s winner, appears on the shortlist once more, alongside Egypt and Liverpool star Mohamed Salah and Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi of Paris Saint-Germain.
CAF African Player of the Year winners and their clubs at the time (1992–2024)
2024 – Ademola Lookman
Nationality: Nigeria
Club: Atalanta Bergamo (Italy)
2023 – Victor Osimhen
Nationality: Nigeria
Club: Napoli (Italy)
2022 – Sadio Mané
Nationality: Senegal
Club: Liverpool (England)
2019 – Sadio Mané
Nationality: Senegal
Club: Liverpool (England)
2018 – Mohamed Salah
Nationality: Egypt
Club: Liverpool (England)
2017 – Mohamed Salah
Nationality: Egypt
Club: Liverpool (England)
2016 – Riyad Mahrez
Nationality: Algeria
Club: Leicester City (England)
2015 – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Nationality: Gabon
Club: Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
2014 – Yaya Touré
Nationality: Côte d’Ivoire
Club: Manchester City (England)
2013 – Yaya Touré
Nationality: Côte d’Ivoire
Club: Manchester City (England)
2012 – Yaya Touré
Nationality: Côte d’Ivoire
Club: Manchester City (England)
2011 – Yaya Touré
Nationality: Côte d’Ivoire
Club: Manchester City (England)
2010 – Samuel Eto’o
Nationality: Cameroon
Club: Inter Milan (Italy)
2009 – Didier Drogba
Nationality: Côte d’Ivoire
Club: Chelsea (England)
2008 – Emmanuel Adebayor
Nationality: Togo
Club: Arsenal (England)
2007 – Frédéric Oumar Kanouté
Nationality: Mali
Club: Sevilla FC (Spain)
2006 – Didier Drogba
Nationality: Côte d’Ivoire
Club: Chelsea (England)
2005 – Samuel Eto’o
Nationality: Cameroon
Club: FC Barcelona (Spain)
2004 – Samuel Eto’o
Nationality: Cameroon
Club: FC Barcelona (Spain)
2003 – Samuel Eto’o
Nationality: Cameroon
Club: Mallorca (Spain)
2002 – El-Hadji Diouf
Nationality: Senegal
Club: Liverpool (England)
2001 – El-Hadji Diouf
Nationality: Senegal
Club: Lens (France)
2000 – Patrick Mboma
Nationality: Cameroon
Club: Parma (Italy)
1999 – Nwankwo Kanu
Nationality: Nigeria
Club: Arsenal (England)
1998 – Mustapha Hadji
Nationality: Morocco
Club: Deportivo La Coruña (Spain)
1997 – Victor Ikpeba
Nationality: Nigeria
Club: AS Monaco (France)
1996 – Nwankwo Kanu
Nationality: Nigeria
Club: Inter Milan (Italy)
1995 – George Weah
Nationality: Liberia
Club: AC Milan (Italy)
1994 – Emmanuel Amunike
Nationality: Nigeria
Club: Sporting Clube de Portugal (Portugal)
1993 – Rashidi Yekini
Nationality: Nigeria
Club: Vitória Futebol Clube (Portugal)
1992 – Abedi Pelé
Nationality: Ghana
Club: Olympique de Marseille (France)
Winners from 1992 to 1999 were selected by France Football before CAF began issuing its own version of the award.
