Vincent Enyeama and CSKA Moscow winger Ahmed Musa made the 25 players list for the 2014 Glo-CAF African Player of The Year award announced by the Confederation of African Football on Thursday in Cairo.
The Glo-CAF Awards is scheduled for Lagos on January 8, 2015.
Twenty-five players were nominated for the African Player of the Year category while 20 players made the list for the Player of the Year (Based in Africa) category.
Mamelodi Sundowns winger Ejike Uzoenyi is the only Nigerian player shortlisted in the 20-man list of Africa-based Player of the Year award.
Musa and Enyeama were part of the Super Eagles’ squad that won the 2013 African Nations Cup in South Africa and also participated actively as the Eagles reached the Round of 16 at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Indeed, Musa scored twice as the African champions lost 3-2 to Argentina in the group stage of the competition.
Uzoenyi on the other hand made his international debut for Nigeria in 2012. He was called up to Nigeria’s 23-man squad for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and was named to Nigeria’s squad for the 2014 African Nations Championship, where he emerged the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
He was also named in Nigeria’s provisional squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and made the final squad to Brazil after left-back Elderson Echiejile copped an injury on the eve of the tournament.
In picking the nominees, CAF took into consideration the performances of the nominees for their national teams and clubs from January to November 2014.
Other Players shortlisted for the African Player of the Year award include the Ghanaian duo of Asamoah Gyan and Kwadwo Asamoah; Dame N’doye and Sadio Mané (Senegal); Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo); and the Cameroonian trio of Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Stephane Mbia and Vincent Aboubakar.
Others are Ivoirians Gervinho, Wilfred Bony and Yaya Toure. Tunisians Fakhreddine Ben Youssef and Ferdjani Sassi also made the list.
The winners of the two categories will be decided by votes from the Head Coaches and Technical Directors of the National Associations affiliated to CAF.
Ivorian Yaya Toure was crowned African Player of the Year for the past three years whilst Mohamed Aboutreika of Egypt was named African Player of the Year (Based in Africa) last year.
