The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has today announced the nominees for the 2022 African Player of the Year, with Nigerian and Nantes winger Moses Simon in the race for the prestigious individual award.

Twenty nine African stars have been nominated alongside the Nigerian to take the total players nominated to thirty.

In his bid to win the Player of the Year prize, Simon has to see off competition from Premier League stars namely Arsenal's Mohamed ElNeny, Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, Liverpool duo Naby Keita and Mohamed Salah, Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez, Tottenham Hotspur's Yves Bissouma and Leicester City's Nampalys Mendy.

The 26-year-old enjoyed a great season with Nantes in the French Ligue 1, registering six goals and eight assists in 30 appearances to help the club to a respectable ninth-placed finish.

On the international stage, he was one of the star performers at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, scoring and assisting as Nigeria defeated Sudan 3-1 in the group stage.

Player of the Year (Men) nominees

Riyad Mahrez (Algeria & Manchester City)
Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso & Aston Villa)
Blati Toure (Burkina Faso & Pyramids)
Edmund Tapsoba (Burkina Faso & Bayer Leverkusen)
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (Cameroon & Napoli)
Karl Toko Ekambi (Cameroon & Lyon)
Vincent Aboubacar (Cameroon & Al Nassr)
Youssouf M'Changama (Comoros & Guingamp)
Franck Kessie (Cote d’Ivoire & AC Milan)
Sebastien Haller (Cote d’Ivoire & Ajax)
Mohamed Abdelmonem (Egypt & Al Ahly)
Mohamed ElNeny (Egypt & Arsenal)
Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Liverpool)
Mohamed Shenawy (Egypt & Al Ahly)
Musa Barrow (Gambia & Bologna)
Naby Keita (Guinea & Liverpool)
Aliou Dieng (Mali & Al Ahly)
Hamari Traore (Mali & Rennes)
Yves Bissouma (Mali & Tottenham Hotspur)
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco & Paris Saint-Germain)
Sofiane Boufal (Morocco & Angers)
Yahya Jabrane (Morocco & Wydad Athletic Club)
Yassine Bounou (Morocco & Sevilla)
Moses Simon (Nigeria & Nantes)
Edouard Mendy (Senegal & Chelsea)
Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal & Napoli)
Nampalys Mendy (Senegal & Leicester City)
Sadio Mane (Senegal & Bayern Munich)
Saliou Ciss (Senegal & Nancy)
Ali Maaloul (Tunisia & Al Ahly)

Sofoluwe Mayowa

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