Among those to miss out are Al-Nassr’s Sadio Mane, Manchester United’s Sofyan Amrabat, and Sevilla’s Yousef En Nesyri.Among those to miss out are Al-Nassr’s Sadio Mane, Manchester United’s Sofyan Amrabat, and Sevilla’s Yousef En Nesyri.
Notable exclusions include Sadio Mane from Al-Nassr, Sofyan Amrabat from Manchester United, and Yousef En Nesyri from Sevilla.
The discussion will intensify as people weigh in on who should receive the prestigious honor among Mohamed Salah, Victor Osimhen, and Achraf Hakimi.
Osimhen is the frontrunner for many, given his standout performances with Napoli, contributing to their Serie A victory and establishing himself as one of Europe’s most valuable strikers.
Achraf Hakimi of Paris Saint-Germain has demonstrated excellence in both Ligue 1 and with the Moroccan national team, with TransferMarkt highlighting his three goals in 12 league appearances this season.
Salah, a two-time winner of the award, has been a finalist for the past two years and remains a strong contender for this year’s honor.
His ex-Liverpool comrade and the current CAF Player of the Year, Mane, will likely be disheartened to miss the top three, breaking a streak of six consecutive appearances.
If Osimhen emerges victorious, Nigeria would draw level with Ghana and Ivory Coast in terms of victories but would still trail behind the record-holders, Cameroon, by five wins.
The most recent Nigerian recipient of the award was Nwankwo Kanu in 1999.