Salah, Osimhen lead shortlist for 2025 CAF Men's Player of the Year Award
The awards celebrate Africa's best performers between January 6 and October 15, 2025, acknowledging footballers who have made significant contributions to the continent's football scene, both locally and internationally, during the period.
Egypt's Mohamed Salah and Nigeria's Victor Osimhen are among the frontrunners for the 2025 CAF Men's Player of the Year Award, as the Confederation of African Football unveiled nominees across all men's categories for its annual awards.
The awards celebrate Africa's best performers between January 6 and October 15, 2025, acknowledging footballers who have made significant contributions to the continent's football scene, both locally and internationally, during the period.
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Other categories for the awards include Goalkeeper of the Year, Interclub Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Young Player of the Year, National Team of the Year and Club of the Year.
"A panel of experts made up of CAF Technical & Development Committee members, experienced coaches, CAF Legends, and selected media representatives decided on 10 nominees for each category, considering the performance in all competitions," said CAF in a statement.
Cameroon's Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa joins Salah and Osimhen in the Player of the Year category after an outstanding season with Napoli, while DR Congo's Fiston Mayele, whose prolific scoring powered Pyramids FC to the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League title, also made the shortlist.
Others include Morocco's Achraf Hakimi of Paris Saint-Germain, Guinea's Serhou Guirassy of Borussia Dortmund, Senegal's Iliman Ndiaye of Everton, and Pape Matar Sarr of Tottenham Hotspur, alongside Gabon's Denis Bouanga (LAFC) and Morocco's Oussama Lamlioui (RS Berkane).
In the Goalkeeper of the Year category, Morocco's Yassine Bonou of Al Hilal headlines the nominees after another consistent season for club and country. He faces competition from Nigeria's Stanley Nwabali of Chippa United and defending champion Ronwen Williams of Mamelodi Sundowns.
Also nominated are Cameroon's Andre Onana (Trabzonspor), Cape Verde's Vozinha (Chaves), Egypt's Ahmed El Shenawy (Pyramids FC), Morocco's Munir Mohamedi (RS Berkane), Senegal's Edouard Mendy (Al Ahli) and Marc Diouf (Tengueth), and Tunisia's Aymen Dahmen (CS Sfaxien).
The Interclub Player of the Year category is dominated by players from Pyramids FC and Morocco's RS Berkane, reflecting their strong runs in continental competitions.
Algeria's Ismael Belkacemi (Al Ahli Tripoli) and Burkina Faso's Blati Touré (Pyramids FC) lead the list, joined by Issoufou Dayo and Oussama Lamlioui of RS Berkane, Fiston Mayele, Emam Ashour of Al Ahly, Ibrahim Adel and Ahmed Samy of Pyramids, Mohamed Hrimat of AS FAR and Tanzania's Shomari Kapombe of Simba.
For Coach of the Year, Cape Verde's Bubista was recognised for his team's remarkable progress in both the Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup qualification, while Egypt's Hossam Hassan and Morocco's Walid Regragui remain strong contenders after guiding their teams through successful campaigns.
Others in the running include Pyramids FC's Krunoslav Jurcic, Tunisia's Sami Trabelsi, Madagascar's Romuald Rakotondrabe, RS Berkane's Moine Chaabani, Morocco's CHAN coach Tarik Sektioui, Morocco U-20's coach Mohamed Ouahbi, and Senegal's Pape Thiaw.
The Young Player of the Year category showcases Africa's emerging stars, with Burkina Faso's Asharaf Tapsoba of Real du Faso and Morocco's Abdellah Ouazane of Ajax among the top names.
They are joined by Côte d'Ivoire's Alynho Haidara, DR Congo's Noah Sadiki, and Morocco's Houssam Essadak and Othmane Maamma. Nigeria's Daniel Bameyi, Sierra Leone's Momoh Kamara, and South Africans Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Tylon Smith also make the list.
In the National Team of the Year category, continental powerhouses Morocco, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, and Cape Verde lead the nominees following strong performances in major tournaments and qualifiers. They are joined by Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, South Africa, Tunisia, and Morocco's U-20 side.
Finally, in the Club of the Year category, South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates feature prominently alongside Egypt's Pyramids FC and Morocco's RS Berkane. Other nominees include Algeria's CR Belouizdad and CS Constantine, Côte d'Ivoire's ASEC Mimosas, South Africa's Stellenbosch, Sudan's Al Hilal, and Tanzania's Simba SC.
The final winners will be announced by CAF at a gala ceremony later this year.
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