By Abiola Olawale
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially released the much-anticipated shortlist for the 2025 African Men’s Player of the Year award.
Headlining the prestigious 10-man list are two of the continent’s most electrifying stars: Egypt’s Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) and Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray, on loan from Napoli).
The release of the full nominees’ list confirms a thrilling race for the continent’s most coveted individual prize, recognizing the top performances from January 6 to October 15, 2025.
The New Diplomat reports that the nominees were selected by a panel comprising CAF Technical and Development Committee members, seasoned coaches, CAF Legends, and respected media professionals.
Each category features 10 nominees carefully chosen for their exceptional performances across competitions within the period under review.
Below is the full list of the 2025 CAF Awards;
Men’s Player of the Year
Cameroon’s Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (Napoli) and Egypt’s Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) headline the list after stellar seasons for both club and country.
Other strong contenders include DR Congo’s Fiston Mayele (Pyramids FC), Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray), Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi (PSG), and Senegal’s Iliman Ndiaye (Everton).
Nominees:
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (Cameroon/Napoli)
Fiston Mayele (DR Congo/Pyramids)
Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool)
Denis Bouanga (Gabon/Los Angeles FC)
Serhou Guirassy (Guinea/Borussia Dortmund)
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco/Paris Saint-Germain)
Oussama Lamlioui (Morocco/RS Berkane)
Victor Osimhen (Nigeria/Galatasaray)
Iliman Ndiaye (Senegal/Everton)
Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal/Tottenham Hotspur)
Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year
The goalkeeper category blends experience and emerging talent, led by Morocco’s Yassine Bonou (Al Hilal), Nigeria’s Stanley Nwabali (Chippa United), and reigning titleholder Ronwen Williams (South Africa/Mamelodi Sundowns).
Nominees:
Andre Onana (Cameroon/Trabzonspor)
Vozinha (Cape Verde/Chaves)
Ahmed El Shenawy (Egypt/Pyramids)
Munir Mohamedi (Morocco/RS Berkane)
Yassine Bonou (Morocco/Al Hilal)
Stanley Nwabali (Nigeria/Chippa United)
Edouard Mendy (Senegal/Al Ahli)
Marc Diouf (Senegal/Tengueth)
Ronwen Williams (South Africa/Mamelodi Sundowns)
Aymen Dahmen (Tunisia/CS Sfaxien)
Men’s Interclub Player of the Year
Pyramids FC and RS Berkane dominate the interclub category, thanks to their impressive runs in the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup. Standouts include Blati Touré, Oussama Lamlioui, Issoufou Dayo, and Emam Ashour.
Nominees:
Ismael Belkacemi (Algeria/Al Ahli Tripoli)
Blati Touré (Burkina Faso/Pyramids FC)
Issoufou Dayo (Burkina Faso/RS Berkane)
Fiston Mayele (DR Congo/Pyramids)
Ahmed Samy (Egypt/Pyramids)
Emam Ashour (Egypt/Al Ahly)
Ibrahim Adel (Egypt/Pyramids)
Mohamed Hrimat (Morocco/AS FAR)
Mohamed Chibi (Morocco/Pyramids)
Oussama Lamlioui (Morocco/RS Berkane)
Shomari Kapombe (Tanzania/Simba)
Men’s Coach of the Year
The shortlist recognises tactical brilliance across the continent. Bubista (Cape Verde) is honoured for his team’s rise in World Cup qualification, while Walid Regragui (Morocco) and Hossam Hassan (Egypt) remain top contenders.
Nominees:
Bubista (Cape Verde)
Hossam Hassan (Egypt)
Krunoslav Jurcic (Pyramids)
Sami Trabelsi (Tunisia)
Romuald Rakotondrabe (Madagascar CHAN)
Moine Chaabani (RS Berkane)
Tarik Sektioui (Morocco CHAN)
Mohamed Ouahbi (Morocco U-20)
Walid Regragui (Morocco)
Pape Thiaw (Senegal)
Men’s Young Player of the Year
Highlighting the continent’s next generation of stars, the young player category features emerging talents like Asharaf Tapsoba (Burkina Faso/Real du Faso), Abdellah Ouazane (Morocco/Ajax), and South Africa’s rising duo Mbekezeli Mbokazi (Orlando Pirates) and Tylon Smith (QPR).
Nominees:
Asharaf Tapsoba (Burkina Faso/Real du Faso)
Alynho Haidara (Côte d’Ivoire/Mainz 05 Jacqueville)
Noah Sadiki (DR Congo/Sunderland)
Abdellah Ouazane (Morocco/Ajax)
Houssam Essadak (Morocco/US Touarga)
Othmane Maamma (Morocco/Watford)
Daniel Bameyi (Nigeria/Primorje)
Momoh Kamara (Sierra Leone/Minnesota United)
Mbekezeli Mbokazi (South Africa/Orlando Pirates)
Tylon Smith (South Africa/Queens Park Rangers)
Men’s National Team of the Year
The top-performing national sides from across Africa are honoured, including Morocco, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, and Cape Verde, who impressed in qualifiers and major tournaments.
Nominees:
Algeria
Cape Verde
Côte d’Ivoire
Egypt
Ghana
Morocco U-20
Morocco
Senegal
South Africa
Tunisia
Men’s Club of the Year
Africa’s most dominant clubs round off the list, led by Mamelodi Sundowns, RS Berkane, Pyramids FC, and Orlando Pirates, all recognised for their continental achievements.
Nominees:
CR Belouizdad (Algeria)
CS Constantine (Algeria)
ASEC Mimosas (Côte d’Ivoire)
Pyramids (Egypt)
RS Berkane (Morocco)
Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
Orlando Pirates (South Africa)
Stellenbosch (South Africa)
Al Hilal (Sudan)
Simba (Tanzania)
