Caesar Abangirah
Uganda Cranes and captain Denis Onyango have made the shortlist of ‘2018 National Team of the year’ and ‘2018 African Footballer of the year’ respectively.
The shot stopper earned nomination on the back of a stellar performance for both club and country, while the Cranes qualified for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Cameroon with a game to spare.
In 2016, Onyango made history by becoming the first goalkeeper to win Caf’s best player award for Africa based players. That was the last time the award was given out.
The win propelled him to 10th best goalkeeper in the world in 2016 after making the ‘Caf team of the year’ shortlist. The list was compiled by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics.
The same year, Cranes were also crowned the 2016 CAF GLO National team of the year.
Onyango, and the Cranes are yet to concede a goal in the ongoing Afcon 2019 qualifiers.
The winners shall be decided by Coaches and Captains of the national teams of the 54 Member Associations, CAF Technical and Development Committee as well Media Experts, Legends, Coaches of the quarter-finalists of the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup.
The Awards Gala will be held on Tuesday, January 8, 2019 in Dakar, Senegal.
The Nominees – African Player of the year.
- Abdelmoumene Djabou (Algeria & ES Setif)
- Ahmed Gomaa (Egypt & El Masry)
- Ahmed Musa (Nigeria & Al-Nassr )
- Alex Iwobi (Nigeria & Arsenal)
- Andre Onana (Cameroon & Ajax)
- Anis Badri (Tunisia & Esperance)
- Ayoub El Kaabi (Morocco & Hebei China Fortune)
- Ben Malango (DR Congo & TP Mazembe)
- Denis Onyango (Uganda & Mamelodi Sundowns)
- Fanev Andriatsima (Madagascar & Clermont Foot)
- Franck Kom (Cameroon & Esperance)
- Jacinto Muondo Dala ‘Gelson’ (Angola & Primeiro de Agosto)
- Hakim Ziyech (Morocco & Ajax)
- Idrissa Gueye (Senegal & Everton)
- Ismail Haddad (Morocco & Wydad Athletic Club)
- Jean-Marc Makusu Mundele (DR Congo & AS Vita)
- Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal & Napoli)
- Mahmoud Benhalib (Morocco & Raja Club Athletic)
- Mehdi Benatia (Morocco & Juventus)
- Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Liverpool)
- Moussa Marega (Mali & Porto)
- Naby Keita (Guinea & Liverpool)
- Odion Ighalo (Nigeria & Changchun Yatai, Nigeria)
- Percy Tau (South Africa & Union Saint-Gilloise)
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon & Arsenal)
- Riyad Mahrez (Algeria & Manchester City)
- Sadio Mane (Senegal & Liverpool)
- Taha Khenissi (Tunisia & Esperance)
- Thomas Partey (Ghana & Atletico Madrid)
- Wahbi Khazri (Tunisia & Saint-Étienne)
- Walid Soliman (Egypt & Ahly)
- Wilfried Zaha (Cote d’Ivoire & Crystal Palace)
- Yacine Brahimi (Algeria & Porto)
- Youcef Belaili (Algeria & Esperance)
Women African Player of the Year
1. Abdulai Mukarama (Ghana & Northern Ladies)
2. Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria & Dilian Quanjian)
3. Bassira Toure (Mali & AS Mande)
4. Chrestinah Thembi Kgatlana (South Africa & Houston Dash)
5. Desire Oparanozia (Nigeria & Guingamp)
6. Elizabeth Addo (Ghana & Seattle Reign)
7. Francisca Ordega (Nigeria & Washington Spirit)
8. Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene (Cameroon & CSKA Moskow)
9. Gaelle Enganamouit (Cameroon & Avaldenes)
10. Janine Van Wyk (South Africa & Houston Dash)
11. Marlyse Ngo Ndoumbouk (Cameroon & Nancy-Lorraine)
12. Onome Ebi (Nigeria & Hekan Huisanhang)
13. Portia Boakye (Ghana & Djurgardens)
14. Raissa Feudjio (Cameroon & Aland United)
15. Tabitha Chawinga (Malawi & Jiangsu Suning)
Youth player of the year
1. Achraf Hakimi (Morocco & Borussia Dortmunmd)
2. Wilfred Ndidi (Nigeria & Leicester City)
3. Andre Onana (Cameroon & Aax)
4. Ismaila Sarr (Senegal & Rennes)
5. Mahmoud Benhalib (Morocco & Raja Club Athletic)
6. Franck Kessie (Cote d’Ivoire & AC Milan)
Men’s coach of the year
1. Corentin Martins (Mauritania)
2. Florent Ibenge (AS Vita & DR Congo)
3. Juan Carlos Garrido (Raja Club Athletic)
4. Moine Chaabani (Esperance)
5. Nicolas Dupuis (Madagascar)
6. Patrice Carteron (Al Ahly)
7. Rachid Taoussi (ES Sétif)
8. Herve Renard (Morocco)
9. Aliou Cisse (Senegal)
10. Gernot Rohr (Nigeria)
Womens Coach of the Year
1. Bruce Mwape (Zambia)
2. Desiree Ellis (South Africa)
3. Joseph Brian Ndoko (Cameroon)
4. Saloum Houssein (Mali)
5. Thomas Dennerby (Nigeria)
Men’s national team of the year
1. Guinea Bissau
2. Kenya
3. Madagascar
4. Mauritania
5. Uganda
6. Zimbabwe
Women’s national team of the year
1. Cameroon
2. Ghana
3. Mali
4. Nigeria
5. South Africa
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