Nigeria winger Ahmed Musa leads the charge for the Most Promising Talent of the year accolade at the Glo-Caf Awards which will be held in Accra, Ghana on December 22.
The 19-year-old Venlo forward has been listed alongside goalkeeper Ahmed El-Shenawy (Egypt and Al Masry), forward Souleymane Coulibaly (Ivory Coast and Tottenham Hotspur) and defender Banana Yaya (Cameroon and Esperance).
Musa has had a very interesting year in which he has played for Nigeria’s national teams in the Under-20 African and World Championships, the Olympic qualifiers and the senior national team, where he scored his debut goal against Kenya in a friendly match.
He also played a big part in Venlo’s escape from relegation in the Dutch league last season, as he was flown back from the AYC in South Africa to play for his club.
The other players on the list can also count a number of achievements with the youngest, 16-year-old Coulibaly, scoring nine goals in four matches for Ivory Coast to top the scorer’s chart at the Under-17 World Cup in Mexico. His comparison with Chelsea striker Didier Drogba saw him signed by Tottenham, and he has since scored goals for the youth team.
Twenty-year-old El-Shenawi made his senior debut for the Pharaohs against Niger in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying tournament after the Egyptians fielded a weakened side having missed out on a qualifying spot. He also played in a friendly match against Brazil in November. He won the best goalkeeper award at the AYC in South Africa, where Egypt took the bronze medal.
Young Cameroon defender Banana Yaya won silver at the AYC in South Africa and has been playing for Tunisian side Esperance since 2009.
Caf will announce the winner of the award on December 22 during a ceremony in Accra, the Ghanaian capital.