Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the only African player named on the 24 players shortlist for The Best Player of the Year 2017 Award.
The Players’ shortlist was made public on Thursday following a list of other categories including the Best Coaches Women and Men with Aubameyang being the only recognised African footballer.
The second edition of The Best FIFA Football Awards the latest incarnation of the annual awards that FIFA has staged ever since the launch of the FIFA World Player Gala in 1991 – will be held on 23 October 2017.
Earlier today, 17 August, the world moved a step closer to learning the identities of this year’s winners, with FIFA announcing the shortlists for four awards throughout the course of the day on FIFA.com and across social media.
Nigeria’s Florence Omagbemi is the only other Africa listed in any of the individual awards to be handed out in January of 2017.
The list includes Gianluigi Buffon, Leonardo Bonucci, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, Eden Hazard, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Arturo Vidal, Harry Kane, Robert Lewandowski.
Also Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Alexis Sanchez, N’golo Kante, Luka Modric, Keylor Navas, Neymar, Luis Suarez made the list.
Andreas Iniesta, Toni Kroos, Marcelo, Dani Carvajal, Antoine Griezmann, Manuel Neuer, Sergio Ramos and Paulo Dybala complete the list.
Who you got? 🏆 #TheBest pic.twitter.com/nzUcoqWJJ9
— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 17, 2017
The winner will be announced in January and voting will be done by Captains and Coaches of national teams, selected media personnel’s as well we the fans.
By Abdulmueez Alao
