BAFANA Bafana and Everton’s Steven Pienaar is one of Caf’s 17 nominations for the 2010 African “Footballer of the Year” award. Pienaar is the only South African among the candidates for the prestigious honour that were revealed on Monday and has yet to be won by a South African since its official inception in 1993.
BAFANA Bafana and Everton’s Steven Pienaar is one of Caf’s 17 nominations for the 2010 African "Footballer of the Year” award.
Pienaar is the only South African among the candidates for the prestigious honour that were revealed on Monday and has yet to be won by a South African since its official inception in 1993.
Some of the other nominees for the top individual prize in African soccer have won it before- Inter Milan’s Samuel Eto’o (2003, 2004 and 2005), Chelsea’s Didier Drogba (2006 and 2009), Seville’s Freddie Kanoute (2007) and Manchester City’s Emmanuel Adebayor (2008).
Another favorite this year is striker Asamoah Gyan, who starred in Ghana’s impressive 2010 World Cup quarter-final qualification in South Africa.
In all, Ghana have four nominations, with Ivory Coast boasting a similar number.
Full list: Asamoah Gyan, Michael Essien, Asamoah Kwadwa and Prince Boateng (Ghana), Didier Drogba, Kolo Toure, Solomon Kalou and Gervinho (Ivory Coast), Frederic Kanoute and Seydou Keita (Mali), Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon), Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo), Victor Chinna (Nigeria), Steven Pienaar (South Africa), Mohamed Zidan (Egypt), Marouane Chamakh (Morocco) and Madjid Bougherra (Algeria).
Agencies