There was no Black Stars player named in the just-released 30-man Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) Player of the Year shortlist.
The 30-man shortlist included Bayern Munich and Senegal’s Sadio Mane, Riyad Mahrez (Algeria), Blati Toure (Burkina Faso), Vincent Aboubacar (Cameroon), and others selected by a panel made up of Technical Experts, CAF Legends, and Journalists.
Despite no Ghanaian being named in the Player of the Year, Black Stars and Rennes winger Kamaldeen Sulemana was among the Young Player of the Year shortlist.
CAF also released the list of the Interclub Player of the Year (Men), Coach of the Year (Men), National Team of the Year (Men), and Club of the Year.
The CAF Awards 2022 would be held ahead of the final of Africa’s flagship women’s competitions, TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2022 scheduled to take place between 02 July – 23 July 2022.
The event would also coincide with the two-year anniversary of the launch of the CAF Women’s Football Strategy.
Full list of shortlist:
Player of the Year (Men)
Riyad Mahrez (Algeria & Manchester City)
Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso & Aston Villa)
Blati Toure (Burkina Faso & Pyramids)
Edmund Tapsoba (Burkina Faso & Bayer Leverkusen)
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (Cameroon & Napoli)
Karl Toko Ekambi (Cameroon & Lyon)
Vincent Aboubacar (Cameroon & Al Nassr)
Youssouf M’Changama (Comoros & Guingamp)
Franck Kessie (Cote d’Ivoire & AC Milan)
Sebastien Haller (Cote d’Ivoire & Ajax)
Mohamed Abdelmonem (Egypt & Al Ahly)
Mohamed ElNeny (Egypt & Arsenal)
Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Liverpool)
Mohamed Shenawy (Egypt & Al Ahly)
Musa Barrow (Gambia & Bologna)
Naby Keita (Guinea & Liverpool)
Aliou Dieng (Mali & Al Ahly)
Hamari Traore (Mali & Rennes)
Yves Bissouma (Mali & Tottenham Hotspur)
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco & Paris Saint-Germain)
Sofiane Boufal (Morocco & Angers)
Yahya Jabrane (Morocco & Wydad Athletic Club)
Yassine Bounou (Morocco & Sevilla)
Moses Simon (Nigeria & Nantes)
Edouard Mendy (Senegal & Chelsea)
Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal & Napoli)
Nampalys Mendy (Senegal & Leicester City)
Sadio Mane (Senegal & Bayern Munich)
Saliou Ciss (Senegal & Nancy)
Ali Maaloul (Tunisia & Al Ahly)
Interclub Player of the Year (Men)
Riad Benayad (ES Setif)
Tiago Azulao (Petro Atletico)
Karim Konate (ASEC Mimomas)
Ali Maaloul (Al Ahly)
Aliou Dieng (Al Ahly)
Mohamed Shenawy (Al Ahly)
Mohamed Sherif (Al Ahly)
Percy Tau (Al Ahly)
Morlaye Sylla (Horoya)
Achraf Dari (Wydad Athletic Club)
Yahya Jabrane (Wydad Athletic Club)
Zouhair El Moutaraji (Wydad Athletic Club)
Mouhcine Moutouali (Raja Club Athletic)
Issoufou Dayo (RS Berkane)
Youssou El Fahli (RS Berkane)
Victorien Adebayor (Niger & Union Sportive Gendarmerie Nationale)
Peter Shalulile (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Bandile Shandu (Orlando Pirates)
Thembinkosi Lorch (Orlando Pirates)
Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane (Esperance Sportive de Tunis)
Young Player of the Year (Men)
Dango Ouattara (Burkina Faso & Lorient)
Karim Konate (Cote d’Ivoire & ASEC/RB Salzburg)
Jesus Owono (Equatorial Guinea & Alaves)
James Gomez (The Gambia & AC Horsens)
Kamaldeen Sulemana (Ghana & Rennes)
Ilaix Moriba Kourouma (Guinea & Valencia)
El Bilal Toure (Mali & Reims)
Akinkunmi Amoo (Nigeria & FC Copenhagen)
Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal & Metz)
Hannibal Mejbri (Tunisia & Manchester United)
Coach of the Year (Men)
Kamou Malo (Burkina Faso)
Amir Abdou (Comoros)
Carlos Quieroz (Egypt)
Pitso Mosimane (Al Ahly)
Tom Saintfiet (The Gambia)
Florent Ibenge (RS Berkane)
Vahid Halilhodzic (Morocco)
Walid Regragui (Wydad Athletic Club)
Aliou Cisse (Senegal)
Mandla Ncikazi (Orlando Pirates)
National Team of the Year (Men)
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Comoros
Egypt
Equatorial Guinea
The Gambia
Mali
Morocco
Senegal
Tunisia
Club of the Year (Men)
ES Setif (Algeria)
Petro Atletico (Angola)
TP Mazembe (DR Congo)
Al Ahly (Egypt)
Ahli Tripoli (Libya)
Al Ittihad (Libya)
Raja Club Athletic (Morocco)
RS Berkane (Morocco)
Wydad Athletic Club (Morocco)
Orlando Pirates (South Africa)