Liverpool duo make the cut for top award

Cape Town - The BBC have announced the five contenders for this year’s BBC African Footballer of the Year award.

The shortlist was unveiled to football fans around the world during a launch programme in Lagos.

The 2018 nominees are:

Medhi Benatia – Juventus and Morocco

Kalidou Koulibaly – Napoli and Senegal

Sadio Mané – Liverpool and Senegal

Thomas Partey – Atletico Madrid and Ghana

Mohamed Salah – Liverpool and Egypt

Voting kicked off on Saturday, November 17 and will run until 20:00 Sunday, December 2 when the vote closes. The public can vote online for their favourite player here.

Isaac Fanin, presenter of BBC African Footballer of the Year 2018, says: “It’s been an interesting year for African football, especially with the highs and lows of the FIFA World Cup. We’ve seen some outstanding performances from world class players, both in league and cup matches, so anyone can win this!”

The winner of BBC African Footballer of the Year 2018 will be revealed live during Focus on Africa on BBC World News and BBC World Service on Friday, December 14.

Previous winners of the award include: Mohamed Salah (2017); Riyad Mahrez (2016), Yaya Touré (2015 and 2013); and Yacine Brahimi (2014).