Uganda’s Onyango to compete against Salah, Mahrez for African footballer of the year
Uganda Cranes captain and Mamelodi Sundowns shot stopper Denis Onyango will compete with 34 others for the African Player of year awards for the year 2018.
Onyango, who plies his trade in the South African Premier Soccer League and guided Ugandan to a back to back return to the Afcon nations finals to be played next year has been pitted with 2016 winner and Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez, Liverpool’s Mohammad Salah, Sadio Mane and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang(Arsenal) among other African footballers.
The provisions list of star-studded footballers will however be trimmed to remain with the finest three players from whom the best will be crowned the African footballer of the year 2018 at function to be held in Dakar, Senegal on January 8.
In the same awards, the Uganda national football team, the Cranes has also been nominated for the men’s national team of the year award for the year 2018.
Uganda qualified for the Afcon finals in 2019 with a game to spare and is yet to concede a goal in five games so far played.
The Cranes will compete against Kenya, Zimbabwe,Guinea Bissau, Madagascar and Mauritania national teams for the awards whose winner is to be announced in January.
African player of the year award nominees:
Dennis Onyango (Uganda and Mamelodi Sundowns)
Abdelmoumene Djabou (Algeria and ES Setif)
Ahmed Gomaa (Egypt and El Masry)
Ahmed Musa (Nigeria and Al Nasser)
Andre Onana (Nigeria and Arsenal)
Anis Badri (Cameroon and Ajax)
Ayoub El Kaabi (Morocco and Hebei China Fortune)
Ben Malango (DR Congo and TP Mazembe)
Fanev Andriatsima (Madagascar and Clemont Foot)
Franck Kom (Cameroon and Esperance)
Jacinto Muondo Dala “Gelson” (Angola and Primeiro De Agosto)
Hakim Ziyech (Morocco and Ajax)
Idrissa Gueye (Senegal and Everton)
Ismail Haddad (Morocco and Wydad Athletic Club)
Jean Marc Makusu Mundele (DR Congo and AS Vita)
Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal and Napoli)
Mahmoud Benhalib (Morocco and Raja Club Athletic)
Mehdi Benatia (Morocco and Juventus)
Mohamed Salah (Egypt and Liverpool)
Moussa Marega (Mali and Porto)
Naby Keita (Guinea and Liverpool)
Odion Ighalo (Nigeria and Changchun Yatai, Nigeria)
Percy Tau (South Africa and Union Saint – Gilloise)
Pierre Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon and Arsenal)
Riyaz Mahrez (Algeria and Manchester City)
Sadio Mane (Senegal and Liverpool)
Taha Khenissi (Tunisia and Esperance)
Thomas Partey (Ghana and Atletico Madrid)
Wahbi Khazri (Tunisia and St Etienne)
Walid Soliman (Egypt and Al Ahly)
Wilfried Zaha (Cote D’Ivoire and Crystal Palace)
Yacine Brahimi (Algeria and Porto)
Youcef Belaili (Algeria and Esperance)
Men’s national team of the year
Men’s national team of the year:
Uganda
Guinea Bissau
Kenya
Madagascar
Zimbabwe
Mauritania
Men’s coach of the year:
Corentin Martins (Mauritania)
Florent Ibenge (AS Vita and DR Congo)
Juan Carlos Garrido (Raja Club Athletic)
Moine Chaabani (Esperance)
Nicolas Dupuis (Madagascar)
Patrice Carteron (Al Ahly)
Rachid Taoussi (ES Setif)
Herve Renard (Morocco)
Aliou Cisse (Senegal)
Gernot Rohr (Nigeria)
Youth player of the year:
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco and Borussia Dortumund)
Wilfred Ndidi (Nigeria and Leicester City)
Andre Onana (Cameroon and Ajax Amsterdam)
Ismaila Sarr (Senegal and Rennes)
Mahmoud Benhalid (Morocco and Raja Club Athletic)
Franck Kessie (Cote D’Ivoire and AC Milan)
Women’s national team of the year:
Cameroon
Ghana
Mali
Nigeria
South Africa
Women coach of the year:
Bruce Mwape (Zambia)
Desiree Ellis (South Africa)
Joseph Brian Ndoko (Cameroon)
Saloum Houssein (Mali)
Thomas Dennerby (Nigeria)
