The football governing body in Africa, CAF has released the final list of three people to vie for the 2018 African player of the year accolade.
Despite making it to the top 10 list released last month, the one released on Tuesday saw Uganda Cranes captain and Mamelodi Sundowns shot stopper Denis Onyango miss out on the final three from which the best will be announced later this month.
Onyango guided Uganda to back- to - back qualification at the African Nations Cup finals without conceding a goal.
The list now has Egypt and Liverpool forward Mohammed Salah, Sadio Mane(Senegal) and Gabonese striker Pierre Emerick Aubameyang in a repeat of last year’s final three.
Salah,26, who last year became the first Egyptian to win the African player of the year award since its inception in 1992 has now made the final three cut for the second consecutive time.
For Salah’s Liverpool teammate, Mane, this is the third time in a row he his making it to the final three list of the continent’s best footballers having done the same previously in 2016 and 2017.
Aubameyang has made to the top three list for five times in a row since 2014 but has been unfortunate to have won the accolade only once in 2015.
In the women’s category, Nigeria and Dilian Quanjian’s Asisat Oshoala, Francisca Ordega (Nigeria & Washington Spirit) and Chrestinah Thembi Kgatlana (South Africa & Houston Dash) have made the final three cut of the lists released on January 1 by the continent’s football governing body.
The winners will be crowned women and men African footballers of the year 2018 at function to be held in Dakar, Senegal on January 8.
Men’s footballer of the year
Mohammed Salah
Sadio Mane
Pierre Emerick Aubameyang
Women’s footballer of the year
Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria and Dilian Quanjian)
Francisca Ordega (Nigeria & Washington Spirit)
Chrestinah Thembi Kgatlana (South Africa & Houston Dash)
Men’s national team of the year:
Uganda
Guinea Bissau
Kenya
Madagascar
Zimbabwe
Mauritania
