Gathering of Africa's Best Players in Marrakech: Unveiling the 2024 Award Winners

Discover the leading contenders for the 2024 Men's Player of the Year Award in Morocco and the history of African champions ahead of the ceremony.

As the finest athletes from the African continent convene in "Marrakech", Morocco, for the 2024 CAF Awards on Monday, we are poised to continue the legacy of the Men's Player of the Year accolade. This award has been presented in various formats over the years, beginning with the France Football magazine in 1970, before the Confederation of African Football assumed its administration in 1992.

Five nominees remain for 2024: Cote d'Ivoire and "Brighton & Hove Albion" winger Simon Adingra is among the contenders, along with "Borussia Dortmund" Guinea international forward Serhou Guirassy and Moroccan right-back Achraf Hakimi, who plays for "Paris Saint-Germain". "Atalanta's" exciting winger Ademola Lookman will be the choice of Nigerian fans, while "Mamelodi Sundowns" goalkeeper Ronwen Williams hopes his performances for South Africa at the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations 2023 will earn him the prize.

The winner will be announced at the 2024 CAF Awards ceremony, held at Marrakech's "Palais des Congrès" on Monday, starting at 19h00 local time (18h00 GMT/ 20h00 Cairo time/ 21h00 East African time).

Among the past recipients of the African Footballer of the Year award, introduced over fifty years ago, there are 17 different member associations of CAF. Cameroon leads significantly on the list of countries with the most awards, boasting a total of 11 from Roger Milla's first in 1976 to 2010 when Samuel Eto'o claimed the last of his record-breaking four wins. Eto'o's achievement of four wins was matched by Yaya Toure, who secured his consecutively from 2011-2014. Together with two awards for compatriot Didier Drogba, it means Cote d'Ivoire is joint second on the successful countries list with a total of six awards, tied with Nigeria, whose awards are spread among Nwankwo Kanu (twice), Emmanuel Amunike, Victor Ikpeba, Victor Osimhen, and Rashidi Yekini. The formidable striker Osimhen was last year's winner.

Countries to win the Men's Player of the Year award:
11 - Cameroon
6 - Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria
5 - Ghana
4 - Morocco, Senegal
3 - Algeria, Egypt, Liberia
2 - Mali
1 - Congo, Gabon, Guinea, Togo, Tunisia, Zaire (now DR Congo), Zambia