Who are the nominees for African Footballer of the Year 2024

As 2024 starts to come to an end, it’s time to take a close look at the African Footballer of the Year award. The nominees were recently announced, with the period for consideration ending at the start of November. While the award won’t be announced until December 16, it’s not too early to think about the nominees and their odds of winning such a coveted honor.

As fans anticipate the announcement, many will look to the best sportsbooks, which are likely to offer betting odds on which player will claim the title of African Footballer of the Year in 2024. These sportsbooks not only provide odds for this prestigious award but also offer promotions for new users and a wide range of betting markets that extend beyond football. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the 10 finalists.

Amine Gouiri, Algeria

As a young player, the 24-year-old Gouiri figures to be a long shot for African Footballer of the Year. He finished last season with seven goals for Rennes, a mid-table team in France. However, his four goals in five international appearances for Algeria this year were enough to put him on the radar.

Edmond Tapsoba, Burkina Faso

The success Bayer Leverkusen had in the Bundesliga last season certainly helped to raise Tapsoba’s notability. He was among the leaders of the Bayer backline that made them Bundesliga champions and one of the top clubs in Europe. Of course, a lack of goals, even for a center back, could hurt his chances of being African Footballer of the Year despite continuing to anchor the Burkina Faso backline as well.

Simon Adingra, Ivory Coast

This has been a breakout year for Adingra. He scored a critical goal for the Ivory Coast in the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations on the way to the Elephants winning the trophy. Over the past year, Adingra has established himself as a key player for Brighton in the Premier League, helping to make him one of the most notable African footballers at the age of 22.

Chancel Mbemba, DR Congo

Mbemba was arguably the most important figure during DR Congo’s run to the semifinals of the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year. He led a backline that only allowed five goals in seven matches during the tournament. That alone was enough to make Mbemba a finalist for African Footballer of the Year.

Serhou Guirassy, Guinea

Guirassy has been arguably the best goal scorer among African players over the past year. During the 2023-24 Bundesliga season, he scored 28 goals in 28 games for Stuttgart. After a summer transfer to Borussia Dortmund, the goals have kept coming. For Guinea, Guirassy scored six goals over three games during the October international break, including a hat trick in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Ethiopia. Those goals have helped propel him as one of the favorites for African Footballer of the Year.

Achraf Hakimi, Morocco

Hakimi certainly has name recognition working in his favor. The fact that he plays for PSG and is a key player for the European giants helps his case. Hakimi was part of the Morocco team that won a bronze medal at the 2024 Olympics. His leadership during that tournament will likely help his chances of winning African Footballer of the Year.

Soufiane Rahimi, Morocco

Similar to Hakimi, Rahimi was on Morocco’s Olympic team. He scored eight goals in six appearances during that tournament, which is the driving force in his candidacy for African Footballer of the Year. However, the fact that he plays for a club in the U.A.E. could hurt his chances.

Ademola Lookman, Nigeria

Lookman being nominated for the Ballon d’Or would seem to make him an obvious favorite to be African Football of the Year in 2024. He had an outstanding season for Atalanta during the 2023-24 campaign, capping it off with a hat trick in the Europa League final last spring. Lookman also scored three goals for Nigeria during the Africa Cup of Nations and has continued to lead the Super Eagles as a goal scorer after they finished as the runners-up at the continental championship earlier this year.

William Troost-Ekong, Nigeria

Despite being a center-back, Troost-Ekong matched Lookman’s three goals during the Africa Cup of Nations. Also, his defensive efforts were a big reason the Super Eagles only allowed four goals in seven matches at the tournament. However, no longer playing for a club in Europe could hurt his chances.

Ronwen Williams, South Africa

Williams appears to be the obvious favorite to win African Goalkeeper of the Year, not to mention a Ballon d’Or nominee. The South African keeper saved four penalties in a shootout during the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year on his way to winning Best Goalkeeper of the tournament honors. He may not win African Football of the Year, but just being among the top-10 contenders is huge.