CAF announce three-man shortlist for Men's player of the year award

As the continent of Africa awaits the award ceremony for the best footballer across all categories. CAF has released the final shortlist for the award ceremony which is usually awarded to players that have been impressive for their clubs and country.

The final list was released on the official X account of CAF on Thursday, December 7, 2023, ahead of the award ceremony on December 11, 2023, at the Palais des Congrès, Movenpick, Marrakech, Morocco. A list of 30 players was initially released before it was cut down to 10 and now we are left with the final three across all categories from the best player in the Men's to the Women's category amongst other categories.

Super Eagles and Napoli's forward player Victor Osimhen who has been tipped as the overall favourite was part of the final three. The Nigerian international was instrumental in helping Napoli to win the Serie A title for the first time in 33 years.

Osimhen also finished eighth on the 2023 Ballon d'Or rankings making him the highest-placed African and will now be looking to become the first Nigerian man to win the CAF Player of the Year award since Kanu Nwakwo in 1999.

PSG's Achraf Hakimi who was a key part of Morocco's exploits at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar 2022 is also part of the final shortlist. The North African team became the first team on the continent to reach the semi-final of the tournament.

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah completes the trio following his impressive performance with Liverpool. He helped the Reds qualify for the UEFA Europa League following his performance in most of the games last season.

The 30-year-old contributed to 30 goals and 16 assists in 51 games across all competitions for Liverpool.