CAF reveals the 10-man shortlist for the 2018 African Player of the Year award

December 14, 2018 By Ali M.

Topics: Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Riyad Mahrez, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alex Iwobi, Mehdi Benatia, CAF African Player of the Year

Mohamed Salah leads the pack, but will face competition from fellow Premier League stars.

CAF has just revealed the 10-man shortlist for 2018 African Player of the Year, with one man leading the nominations. Surprise, surprise, it's none other than Mohamed Salah.

The Liverpool superstar is one of 10 men to receive a nod for the continent's highest individual prize. After a remarkable debut season at Anfield, putting your money on the Egyptian star winning the prize would be the obvious bet.

Last season, the 26-year-old scored 44 goals in 52 appearances to guide the Merseyside giant to the Champions League final, which they eventually lost, and won the Golden Boot in the English top-flight. His exploits saw him finish third in the UEFA Men's Player of the Year and sixth in the 2018 Ballon d'Or while also winning the Puskas.

Salah, who will be in action over the weekend in Liverpool's tricky home clash with Man United, will face competition from Reds team-mate Sadio Mane. The Senegalese was also instrumental for Klopp's side last term and starred in his nation's 2018 World Cup lineup.

Half of the list is comprised of Premier League men, with Man City's Riyad Mahrez and Arsenal duo Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alex Iwobi making the cut. Mehdi Benatia also features alongside Andre Onana, Anice Badri, Denis Onyango, and Walid Soliman.

THE TOP 10 SHORTLIST: African Player of the year #CAFAWARDS18 pic.twitter.com/0lTh0cNZyx
— CAF (@CAF_Online) December 14, 2018

Likewise, eleven female aces were chosen for the 2018 Women's Player of the Year award. Ghana's Abdulai Mukarama, Nigeria's Asisat Oshoala, Mali's Bassira Toure, and Cameroon's Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene were a few inclusions.

THE SHORTLIST: Women's Player of the Year#CAFAWARDS18 pic.twitter.com/315eWxsNlv
— CAF (@CAF_Online) December 14, 2018

For the African Youth Player of the Year accolade, only three men were nominated. Achraf Hakimi, the Moroccan who's enjoying a wonderful start to the season with the unbeaten Dortmund, was given a nod but will have to beat AC Milan's Franck Kessie and Leicester talent Wilfred Ndidi.