CAF AWARDS
The A to Z of CAF Awards
The 2024 CAF Awards will take place on Monday when 15 Awards will be handed to the best players, coaches, clubs and national teams in African football who have distinguished themselves this year.
What are the CAF Awards?
The CAF Awards were established by the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) to recognise outstanding performance in African football. The CAF Awards celebrate the best talent in African football, honouring players, coaches and teams, both male and female, in different categories.
The event
The ceremony will be hosted by presenters Kate Scott and Jamal Bouzrara and will start at 19:00 local time (18:00 GMT / 20:00 Cairo time / 21:00 East Africa time) at the Palais des Congrès in Marrakech.
The Venue
The Palais des Congrès de Marrakech is located in the Hivernage district, a tourist area of the city. Inaugurated on October 30, 1989 by King Hassan II, this building is distinguished by its strategic location in the heart of the city, which makes it a must-see place for business tourism in Morocco. It has hosted global events, such as the signing of the GATT Agreement in April 1994 and the first African Action Summit in 2016, during COP22. In 2016, after a takeover by the Kuwaiti group Al Ajial Assets, the complex was renovated for a budget of 754 million dirhams and its management entrusted to the Swiss group Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts. It reopened to the public in September 2016.
2024 CAF Award Categories
1. Men’s Player of the Year
2. Women’s Player of the Year
3. Men’s Coach of the Year
4. Women’s Coach of the Year
5. Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year
6. Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year
7. Men’s Interclub Player of the Year
8. Women’s Interclub Player of the Year
9. Men’s Young Player of the Year
10. Women’s Young Player of the Year
11. Men’s National Team of the Year
12. Women’s National Team of the Year
13. Men’s Club of the Year
14. Women’s Club of the Year
15. Goal of the Year
Men’s Player of the Year
This year, for this category the nominees are: Ronwen Williams (South Africa), Simon Adingra (Cote d’Ivoire), Serhou Guirassy (Guinea), Achraf Hakimi (Morocco) and Ademola Lookman (Nigeria).
Past winners
2023: Victor Osimhen, Nigeria – Napoli (ITA)
2022: Sadio Mané, Senegal – Liverpool (ENG)
2021: Not awarded
2020: Not awarded
2019: Sadio Mané, Senegal – Liverpool (ENG)
2018: Mohamed Salah, Egypt – Liverpool (ENG)
2017: Mohamed Salah, Egypt – Liverpool (ENG)
2016: Riyad Mahrez, Algeria – Leicester City (ENG)
2015: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Gabon – Borussia Dortmund (GER)
2014: Yaya Touré, Cote d’Ivoire – Manchester City (ENG)
2013: Yaya Touré, Cote d’Ivoire – Manchester City (ENG)
2012: Yaya Touré, Cote d’Ivoire – Manchester City (ENG)
2011: Yaya Touré, Cote d’Ivoire – Manchester City (ENG)
2010: Samuel Eto’o, Cameroun – Inter Milan (ITA)
2009: Didier Drogba, Côte d’Ivoire – Chelsea (ENG)
2008: Emmanuel Adébayor, Togo – Arsenal (ENG)
2007: Frédéric Kanouté, Mali – Sevilla FC (ESP)
2006: Didier Drogba, Côte d’Ivoire – Chelsea (ENG)
2005: Samuel Eto’o, Cameroun – FC Barcelona (ESP)
2004: Samuel Eto’o, Cameroun – FC Barcelona (ESP)
2003: Samuel Eto’o, Cameroun – Real Mallorca (ESP)
2002: El Hadji Diouf, Sénégal – Liverpool (ENG)
2001: El Hadji Diouf, Sénégal – Lens (FRA)
2000: Patrick Mboma, Cameroon – Parma (ITA)
1999: Nwankwo Kanu, Nigeria – Arsenal (ENG)
1998: Mustapha Hadji, Maroc – Deportivo La Coruna (ESP)
1997: Victor Ikpeba, Nigeria – AS Monaco (FRA)
1996: Nwankwo Kanu, Nigeria – Inter Milan (ITA)
1995: George Weah, Liberia – AC Milan (ITA)
1994: Emmanuel Amunike, Nigeria – Sporting Lisbon (POR)
1993: Rashidi Yekini, Nigeria – Vitória FC (POR)
1992: Abedi Pelé, Ghana – Olympique de Marseille (FRA)
Women’s Player of the Year
This year, in this category the three nominees are: Sanâa Mssoudy (Morocco), Chiamaka Nnadozie (Nigeria) and Barbra Banda (Zambia)
Past winners
2023: Asisat Oshoala, Nigeria – FC Barcelona (ESP)
2022: Asisat Oshoala, Nigeria – FC Barcelona (ESP)
2021: Not awarded
2020: Not awarded
2019: Asisat Oshoala, Nigeria – FC Barcelona (ESP)
2018: Thembi Kgatlana, South Africa – Houston Dash (USA)
2017: Asisat Oshoala, Nigeria – Dalian Quanjian (CHN)
2016: Asisat Oshoala, Nigeria – Arsenal (ENG)
2015: Gaëlle Enganamouit, Cameroun – Eskilstuna United (SWE)
2014: Asisat Oshoala, Nigeria – Rivers Angels (NGA)
2013: Not awarded
2012: Genoveva Añonma, Guinée équatoriale – FFC Turbine Potsdam (GER)
2011: Perpetua Nkwocha, Nigeria – Sunnanå SK (SWE)
2010: Perpetua Nkwocha, Nigeria – Sunnanå SK (SWE)
2009: Not awarded
2008: Noko Matlou, South Africa – University of Johannesburg (RSA)
2007: Cynthia Uwak, Nigeria – Falköpings KIK (SWE)
2006: Cynthia Crow, Nigeria – FC United (FIN)
2005: Perpetua Nkwocha, Nigeria – Rivers Eagles (NGA)
2004: Perpetua Nkwocha, Nigeria – Rivers Eagles (NGA)
2003: Adjoa Bayor, Ghana – Robert Morris University (USA)
2002: Alberta Sackey, Ghana – Robert Morris University (USA)
2001: Mercy Akide-Udoh, Nigeria – San Diego Spirit (USA)
Men’s Coach of the Year
This year, for this category the nominees are: Hugo Broos (South Africa), Emerse Fae (Cote d’Ivoire) and Sébastien Desabre (DR Congo)
Past winners
2023: Walid Regragui, Morocco – Morocco national team
2022: Aliou Cissé, Senegal – Senegal national team
2021: Not awarded
2020: Not awarded
2019: Djamel Belmadi, Algeria – Algeria national team
2018: Hervé Renard, France – Morocco national team
2017: Héctor Cuper, Argentina – Egypt national team
2016: Pitso Mosimane, South Africa – Mamelodi Sundowns (RSA)
2015: Hervé Renard, France – Cote d’Ivoire national team
2014: Kheireddine Madoui, Algeria – ES Setif (ALG)
2013: Stephen Keshi, Nigeria – Nigeria national team
2012: Hervé Renard, France – Zambia national team
2011: Haruna Doula Gable, Niger – Niger national team
2010: Milovan Rajevac, Serbie – Ghana national team
2009: Selah Tetah, Ghana – Ghana U-20 national team
2008: Hassan Shehata, Egypte – Egypt national team
2007: Yemi Tella, Nigeria – Nigeria U-17 national team
2006: Manuel José, Portugal – Al Ahly (EGY)
2005: Stephen Keshi, Nigeria – Togo national team
2004: Okey Emordi, Nigeria – Enyimba
2003: Kadiri Ikhana, Nigeria – Enyimba
2002: Bruno Metsu, France – Senegal national team
2001: Bruno Metsu, France – Senegal national team
2000: Cecil Jones Attuquayefio – Ghana – Hearts of Oak (GHA)
Women’s Coach of the Year
This year, for this category the nominees are: Lamia Boumehdi (TP Mazembe), Ahmed Ramadan (FC Masar), Mohamed Amine Alioua (AS FAR), Thinasonke Mbuli (University of the Western Cape)
Past winners
2023: Desiree Ellis, South Africa – South Africa national team
2022: Desiree Ellis, South Africa – South Africa national team
2021: Not awarded
2020: Not awarded
2019: Desiree Ellis, South Africa – South Africa national team
2018: Desiree Ellis, South Africa – South Africa national team
Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year
This year, for this category the nominees are: André Onana (Cameroon / Manchester United), Yahia Fofana (Cote d’Ivoire / Angers SCO) and Ronwen Williams (South Africa / Mamelodi Sundowns)
Past winners
2023: Yassine Bounou, Morocco – Sevilla FC (ESP)
2004: Ali Boumnijel, Tunisia – Rouen (FRA)
2003: Idriss Kameni – Cameroon – Espanyol (ESP)
2002: Tony Sylva – Sénégal – AS Monaco (FRA)
Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year
This year, for this category the nominees are: Khadija Er-Rmichi (Morocco / AS FAR), Chiamaka Nnadozie (Nigeria / Paris FC), Andile Dlamini (South Africa / Mamelodi Sundowns)
Past winners
2023: Chiamaka Nnadozie, Nigeria – Paris FC (FRA)
Men’s Interclub Player of the Year
This year, for this category the nominees are: Ahmed Sayed (Egypt / Zamalek), Hussein El Shahat (Egypt / Al Ahly) and Ronwen Wlliams (South Africa / Mamelodi Sundowns)
Past winners
2023: Percy Tau, South Africa – Al Ahly (EGY)
2022: Mohamed El-Shenawy, Egypt – Al Ahly (EGY)
2019: Youcef Belaïli, Algeria – ES Tunis (TUN)
2016: Denis Onyango, Uganda – Mamelodi Sundowns (RSA)
2015: Mbwana Samatta, Tanzania – TP Mazembe (RDC)
2014: Firmin Mubele, DR Congo – Vita Club (RDC)
2013: Mohamed Aboutrika, Egypt – Al Ahly (EGY)
2012: Mohamed Aboutrika, Egypt – Al Ahly (EGY)
2011: Oussama Darragi, Tunisia – ES Tunis (TUN)
2010: Ahmed Hassan, Egypt – Al Ahly (EGY)
2009: Trésor Mputu, DR Congo, TP Mazembe (RDC)
2008: Mohamed Aboutrika, Egypt – Al Ahly (EGY)
2007: Amine Chermiti, Tunisia – Étoile du Sahel (TUN)
2006: Mohamed Aboutrika, Egypt – Al Ahly (EGY)
2005: Mohamed Barakat, Egypt – Al Ahly (EGY)
2004: Vincent Enyeama, Nigeria – Enyimba (NGA)
2003: Dramane Traore, Mali – Ismaily SC (EGY)
Women’s Interclub Player of the Year
This year, for this category the nominees are: Lacho Flora Marta (Angola / TP Mazembe), Doha El Madani (Morocco / AS FAR) and Sanaâ Mssoudy (Morocco / AS FAR)
Past winners
2023: Fatima Tagnaout, Morocco – AS FAR (MOR)
2022: Evelyn Badu, Ghana – Hasaacas Ladies FC (GHA)
Men’s Young Player of the Year
This year, for this category the nominees are: Karim Konaté (Cote d’Ivoire / Salzburg), Oumar Diakite (Cote d’Ivoire / Reims) and Lamine Camara (Senegal / AS Monaco)
Past winners
2023: Lamine Camara, Senegal – FC Metz (FRA)
2022: Pape Matar Sarr, Senegal – Tottenham Hotspur (ENG)
2021: Not awarded
2020: Not awarded
2019: Achraf Hakimi, Morocco – Borussia Dortmund (GER)
2018: Achraf Hakimi, Morocco – Borussia Dortmund (GER)
2017: Patson Daka, Zambia – FC Liefering (AUT)
2016: Alex Iwobi, Nigeria – Arsenal FC (ENG)
2015: Victor Osimhen, Nigeria – Ultimate Strikers Academy (NGA)
Women’s Young Player of the Year
This year, for this category the nominees are: Habiba Sabry (Egypt / FC Masar), Doha El Madani (Morocco / AS FAR), Chiamaka Okuchukwu (Nigeria / Rivers Angels)
Past winners
2023: Nesryne El Chad, Morocco – LOSC Lille (FRA)
2022: Evelyn Badu, Ghana – Hasaacas Ladies FC (GHA) / Avaldsnes IL (NOR)
2021: Asisat Oshoala, Nigeria – Rivers Angels FC (NGA)
Men’s National Team of the Year
This year, for this category the nominees are: Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria and South Africa
Past winners
2023: Morocco
2022: Senegal
2021: Not awarded
2020: Not awarded
2019: Algeria
2018: Mauritania
2017: Egypt
2016: Uganda
2015: Côte d’Ivoire
2014: Algeria
2013: Nigeria
2012: Zambia
2011: Botswana
2010: Ghana
2009: Algeria
2008: Egypt
2007: Senegal
2006: Ghana
2005: Tunisia
2004: Tunisia
2003: Cameroon
2002: Senegal
2001: Senegal
2000: Cameroon
1999: Tunisia
1998: Egypt
1997: Morocco
1996: South Africa
1995: Tunisia
1994: Niger
1993: Niger
1992: Côte d’Ivoire
1991: Algeria
1990: Cameroon
1989: Cameroon
1988: Cameroon
1987: Cameroon
1986: Morocco
1985: Morocco
1984: Cameroon
1983: Ghana
1982: Algeria
1981: Algeria
1980: Algeria
Women’s National Team of the Year
This year, for this category the nominees are: Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa
Past winners
2023: Nigeria
2022: South Africa
2021: Not awarded
2020: Not awarded
2019: Cameroon
2018: Nigeria
2017: South Africa
2016: Nigeria
2015: Cameroon
2014: Nigeria
2013: Not awarded
2012: Equatorial Guinea
2011: Cameroon
2010: Nigeria
Men’s Club of the Year
This year, for this category the nominees are: Al Ahly (Egypt), Zamalek (Egypt) and Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
Past winners
2023: Al Ahly (EGY)
2022: Wydad Casablanca (MAR)
2017: Wydad Casablanca (MAR)
2016: Mamelodi Sundowns (RSA)
2015: TP Mazembe (RDC)
2014: ES Sétif (ALG)
2013: Al Ahly (EGY)
2012: Al Ahly (EGY)
2011: Esperance de Tunis (TUN)
2010: TP Mazembe (RDC)
2009: TP Mazembe (RDC)
2008: Al Ahly (EGY)
2007: Étoile du Sahel (TUN)
2006: Al Ahly (EGY)
2005: Al Ahly (EGY)
2004: Enyimba (NGA)
2003: Enyimba (NGA)
2002: Zamalek (EGY)
2001: Kaizer Chiefs (RSA)
Women’s Club of the Year
This year, for this category the nominees are: TP Mazembe (DR Congo), AS FAR (Morocco) and Edo Queens (Nigeria)
Past winners
2023: Mamelodi Sundowns (RSA)
2022: Mamelodi Sundowns (RSA)
Goal of the Year
The only prize that is awarded following a vote by African football fans. This year’s contenders:
Abdul Aziz Issah (Dreams FC) – Dreams FC vs APC Lobito (CAFCC)
Aboubakary Koita (Mauritania) – Mauritania vs Angola (AFCON 2023)
Denis Omedi (Kitara FC) – Kitara FC vs KCCA FC (FUFA Super 8)
Ibrahim Adel (Egypt) – Mauritania vs Egypt (AFCON 2025 Qualifiers)
Kevin Pina (Cape Verde) – Cape Verde vs Mozambique ( AFCON 2023)
Cristovao Mabululu (Angola) – Angola vs Namibia (AFCON 2023)
Nene Dorgeles (Mali) – Mali vs Côte d’Ivoire (AFCON 2023)
Saïd Benrahma (Algeria) – Algeria vs Togo (AFCON 2025 Qualifiers)
Sébastien Haller (Côte d’Ivoire) – Nigeria vs Côte d’Ivoire (AFCON 2023)
Wessam Abou Ali (Al Ahly) – Al Ahly vs TP Mazembe ( CAF CL)
Yassine Benzia (Algeria) – Algeria vs South Africa (FIFA Series 2024 Algeria)
Past winners
2023: Mahmoud Kahraba, Egypt – Al Ahly (EGY)
2022: Pape Ousmane, Sénégal – Simba SC (TAN)
2021: Not awarded
2020: Not awarded
2019: Riyad Mahrez – Algeria
2018: Thembi Kgatlana – South Africa
2004: Benni McCarthy – South Africa – FC Porto (POR)
2003: Lesley Manyathela – South Africa
2002: Pape Bouba Diop – Senegal
2001: Zoubaier Baya – Tunisia
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As the best players from the African continent gather in Marrakech, Morocco for the 2024 CAF Awards on Monday, we are set to write another chapter in the history of the Men’s Player of the Year prize.
It is an award that has been handed out in many guises down the years, starting with France Football magazine in 1970, before the Confédération Africaine de Football took over the administering of the Player of the Year in 1992.
Five nominees remain for 2024, Cote d’Ivoire and Brighton & Hove Albion winger Simon Adingra is among the contenders, along with Borussia Dortmund’s Guinea international striker Serhou Guirassy and Morocco right-back Achraf Hakimi, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain.
Atalanta’s exciting winger Ademola Lookman will be the pick of Nigeria fans, while Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams will hope his exploits for South Africa at TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 see him claim the prize.
The winner will be unveiled at the 2024 CAF Awards which are to be staged at Marrakech’s Palais des Congrès on Monday with the ceremony set to kick off at 19h00 local time (18h00 GMT/ 20h00 Cairo time/ 21h00 East African time).
Past winners of the African Footballer of the Year award, which was first introduced more than a half century ago, come from 17 different Member Associations of CAF.
Cameroon are way ahead on the list of countries with the most awards, enjoying a total of 11 from Roger Milla’s first in 1976 to 2010 when Samuel Eto’o won the last of his record-breaking number of four triumphs.
The achievement of four awards for Eto’o was matched by Yaya Toure, who won his successively from 2011-2014.
Along with two awards for compatriot Didier Drogba, it means Cote d’Ivoire are joint second on the list of successful countries with a total of six awards.
This is shared with Nigeria, whose six awards are spread across Nwankwo Kanu (twice), Emmanuel Amuneke, Victor Ikpeba, Victor Osimhen and Rashidi Yekini. The fearsome striker Osimhen was last year’s winner.
Ghana has five awards, including three in a row for Abedi Pele, whose son Dede Ayew was third in 2015.
COUNTRIES TO WIN THE MEN’S PLAYER OF THE YEAR
11 – Cameroon
6 – Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria
5 – Ghana
4 – Morocco, Senegal
3 – Algeria, Egypt, Liberia
2 – Mali
1 – Congo, Gabon, Guinea, Togo, Tunisia, Zaire (now DR Congo), Zambia
-CAF
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Anxiety continues to mount ahead of Monday’s CAF Awards in Marrakech, Morocco. Three women’s players have been shortlisted for the Feminine Lead award, the African Woman Footballer of the Year.
The winner will be a successor to Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala, the current queen who has also won for a record six times. Late Thursday night, CAF narrowed the possible winners to three.
Nigeria’s Chiamaka Nnadozie is one of the trio that included Zambia striker Barbra Banda and Morocco forward Sanaâ Mssoudy.
If Nnadozie wins, she will be the first goalkeeper to win the award since 2001. The winner will also be the 11th winner in 23 years. There have been players who won multiple times.
For instance, Oshoala won six times while compatriots, Perpetua Nkwocha and Cynthia Uwak won four and two times respectively.
There were no awards in 2009, 2013, 2020 and 2021. This year’s winner will be unveiled on Monday at the Palais des Congrès in Marrakech, Morocco from 19h00 local time (18h00 GMT/ 20h00 Cairo time/ 21h00 East African time).
The final three are outstanding players shone throughout the year and in their own way have embodied the excellence and passion of African football.
BARBRA BANDA (ZAMBIA)
Club: Orlando Pride, United StatesThe year 2024 has been synonymous with memorable exploits for Zambia’s Copper Queens.
During the Paris Olympic Games, Banda, 24, made history by becoming the first player to score a third hat-trick at the Olympics after her two brilliant previous performances in Japan three years earlier.
After four successful years at Shanghai Shengli in China, she made a fresh start by joining Orlando Pride in the United States, becoming the second most expensive player in women’s football history.
In her first season in the National Women’s Soccer League, the Zambian captain caused a sensation by scoring the decisive goal in the final of the playoffs, one of 17 she managed in 25 games.
This earned her the title of the championship’s Most Valuable Player of 2024, thus confirming her status as an exceptional player.
SANAÂ MSSOUDY (MOROCCO)
Club: AS FAR, Morocco
Named the Best Player of the 2024 CAF Women’s Champions League, Mssoudy lit up the competition with her exceptional performances, playing a key role in her team’s run to the final.
With her vision for the game, her refined technique and offensive instinct, she knew how to make the difference during crucial moments.
Her leadership on the pitch, combined with her unfailing determination, inspired her teammates and won over the fans.
This recognition crowns an exceptional year, marked by her commitment and her contribution to the influence of women’s football in Africa.
CHIAMAKA NNADOZIE (NIGERIA)
Club: Paris FC, France
In this new season, Nnadozie continues to confirm her status as a world-class goalkeeper.
With regular top performances and decisive saves, she has asserted herself as a crucial figure for Paris FC in France’s Division 1 Féminine.
Her clean sheet ratio of 33% testifies to his efficiency and the ability to keep the team in title contention, providing reassuring security at the back.
The 24-year-old was named Goalkeeper of the Season in the 2023/24 Division 1 Féminine as her side finished third in the league.
She also represented Nigeria at the Paris Olympic Games and as the season progresses, she hopes to continue to push her limits and play an instrumental role in her team’s future success.
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And so, the suspense lingers! The world will have to wait till 16 December 9 to know the top three in the prime award of the 2024 CAF Awards – Africa Footballer of the Year.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) in a press release on Thursday night admitted that there is so little to choose in the voting between the remaining nominees in the race for the coveted Men’s Player of the Year at the 2024 CAF Awards.
The shortlist was expected to be pruned to three. But the “organisers have kept intact the full list of five names ahead of the ceremony in Marrakech, Morocco on Monday.”
It was also suggested that the retaining of the five “adds to the suspense on the evening in what has been one of the most closely fought contests in the history of the Award, with five outstanding candidates hoping to write their names into the rich history of football on the continent.”
The 2024 CAF Awards ceremony takes place at the Palais des Congrès and will kick off at 19:00 local time (18:00 GMT/ 20:00 Cairo time/ 21:00 East African time).
The five contestants in alphabetical order of their nationalities are:
SIMON ADINGRA (COTE D’IVOIRE)
Club: Brighton & Hove Albion, England
Winger Adingra was a key figure for Cote d’Ivoire in their rollercoaster run to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations title on home soil in February.
He scored a 90th minute equaliser in an extra-time victory against Mali in the quarter-finals and provided two assists in the final against Nigeria as The Elephants put behind them a difficult start to the campaign to lift the trophy. He was named Best Young Player at the tournament.
The 22-year-old has also been a key performer for Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League this calendar year, part of an exciting and talented young squad of players.
SERHOU GUIRASSY (GUINEA)
Club: Borussia Dortmund, Germany
Guirassy scored a remarkable 30 goals in as many games for German Bundesliga side Stuttgart in the 2023-24 season and has carried on that form following a move to Borussia Dortmund for the new campaign.
His tally of 28 Bundesliga goals in the season beat Stuttgart’s previous record of 25, set by Mario Gómez in the 2008-09. Only Bayern Munich forward Harry Kane managed more goals than Guirassy in the campaign.
The 28-year-old scored 23 goals for club and country in the period under review (January-October 2024), including a hat-trick for Guinea against Ethiopia in the Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 qualifiers, and two more a week later against the same opponents.
ACHRAF HAKIMI (MOROCCO)
Club: Paris Saint-Germain, France
Hakimi has long been one of the most consistent right-backs in European football and had an excellent year for Paris Saint-Germain, who he helped win a third French Ligue 1 title in a row last season.
PSG did the ‘Double’ with victory in the Coupe de France final over Lyon in May, while Hakimi also helped Morocco to a bronze medal at the Paris Olympic Games.
With his quality and leadership, he remains a key figure for the Morocco national team and played in 14 internationals in 2024, scoring at the Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 against the Democratic Republic of Congo.
ADEMOLA LOOKMAN (NIGERIA)
Club: Atalanta, Italy
Lookman has been in the form of his life in 2024, helping turn his Italian Serie A side Atalanta into title contenders and taking them to a UEFA Europa League trophy win, a first major piece of silverware for the club in 61 years.
The 27-year-old scored a hat-trick in the decider as Atalanta became the only team in the 2023-24 campaign to inflict a defeat on German Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen as the forward provided one of the great final displays in European football history.
Lookman also helped Nigeria to the final of theAfrica Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023, where they lost to the hosts. His displays, and three goals, did not go unnoticed as he was named in the Team of the Tournament.
RONWEN WILLIAMS (SOUTH AFRICA)
Club: Mamelodi Sundowns, South Africa
Goalkeeper Williams’ spectacular penalty saves at the Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 will live long in the memory as he captained South Africa to the bronze medal.
Along the way they beat more fancied Morocco in the round of 16, before Williams’ shoot-out heroics saw the side past Cape Verde and DR Congo. He also helped Bafana Bafana qualify for Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2025 and was a nominee for FIFA’s Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper in 2024.
The 32-year-old helped his club Mamelodi Sundowns set a joint record low of 11 goals conceded in 30 games in the South African Premiership as The Brazilians romped to a record-extending seventh domestic league title in succession.
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