June 30, (THEWILL) – On Thursday, the 2022 African Player of the Year nominations were revealed by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), with Nigerian winger, Moses Simon, of Nantes, leading the field. Along with the 26-year-old a total number of 30 African superstar nominees were unveiled.
The race for the player who will go home with the prestigious Player of the Year award will pit Simon against English Premier League talents like Liverpool duo of Mohamed Salah and Naby Keita, Mohammed Elneny of Arsenal, Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy, Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez, Yves Bissouma of Tottenham Hotspur, and Nampalys Mendy of Leicester City.
Simon was the only Nigerian included in the running for the prize. With 30 games and six goals and eight assists, the 26-year-old had a fantastic season with Nantes in the French Ligue 1, helping the team to a solid ninth-place finish. He was crucial in the progress the Ligue 1 side made after seeing out the threat of relegation that hung around the club from the previous season. They remained in the top flight through the playoffs and faced a resurgent Nice side in the final of the French Cup and won the club’s first major trophy since winning the Ligue 1 title in 2001, after a 21-year wait.
Furthermore, Simon was a standout player for Nigeria at the group stage of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, scoring and providing an assist as Nigeria defeated Sudan 3-1.
The full list of nominees for the top CAF award for men include:
Moses Simon (Nigeria & Nantes)
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)
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)
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
