Marrakech, Morocco, will host this year’s CAF Awards at the Palais des Congrès, starting at 19:00 local time (18:00 GMT / 20:00 Cairo time / 21:00 East African time) on Monday. The awards celebrate the best in African football, and the competition for the Men’s Player of the Year title is intense.
The final Five players who have been voted for are Simon Adingra from Ivory Coast, Serhou Guirassy from Guinea, Achraf Hakimi from Morocco, Ademola Lookman from Nigeria, and Ronwen Williams from South Africa. This promises to be one of the closest contests in the award’s history.
A look at the final five nominees for Men’s Player of the Year in alphabetical order:
RONWEN WILLIAMS (SOUTH AFRICA) Club: Mamelodi Sundowns, South Africa
Williams stood out with his penalty saves during the Africa Cup of Nations, leading South Africa to win a bronze medal. The team defeated Morocco in the round of 16. He also helped South Africa qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and received a nomination for FIFA’s Best Goalkeeper award for 2024. At Mamelodi Sundowns, he helped the team achieve the record fewest goals conceded in a season, leading them to their seventh consecutive league title.
ACHRAF HAKIMI (MOROCCO) Club: Paris Saint-Germain, France
Hakimi is one of the best right-backs in Europe. He helped Paris Saint-Germain win a third consecutive Ligue 1 title and a Coupe de France final against Lyon. He also assisted Morocco in winning a bronze medal at the Paris Olympic Games. In 2024, Hakimi played 14 matches for the national team and scored a goal in the Africa Cup of Nations against the Democratic Republic of Congo.
ADEMOLA LOOKMAN (NIGERIA) Club: Atalanta, Italy
Lookman had a standout year, helping Atalanta become title contenders in Serie A and win the UEFA Europa League. He scored a hat-trick in the final, making it a memorable performance. Lookman also helped Nigeria reach the final of the Africa Cup of Nations, where they finished as runners-up. He scored three goals and earned a spot in the Team of the Tournament.
SIMON ADINGRA (CÔTE D’IVOIRE) – Club: Brighton & Hove Albion, England
Adingra played a vital role in Côte d’Ivoire’s journey to win the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations on home soil. He scored a last-minute equalizer in the quarter-finals against Mali and assisted twice in the final against Nigeria. He earned the Best Young Player award at the tournament. The 22-year-old has also performed well for Brighton in the Premier League this year.
SERHOU GUIRASSY (GUINEA) Club: Borussia Dortmund, Germany
Guirassy scored 30 goals in 30 games for Stuttgart in the 2023-24 Bundesliga season before moving to Borussia Dortmund. His 28 Bundesliga goals set a new record for Stuttgart. Only Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane scored more goals than Guirassy. Between January and October 2024, he scored a total of 23 goals for club and country, including a hat-trick for Guinea against Ethiopia.
Top five nominees for Men’s Player of the Year 2024 CAF Awards #CAFAwards2024 #AfricanStars
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— Alie Bittar (@bittar32) December 13, 2024