As the CAF Player of the Year award ceremony approaches, the excitement surrounding the five finalists — Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman, Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy, Ivory Coast’s Simon Adingra, and South Africa’s Ronwen Williams — is palpable.
Lookman, the overwhelming favourite, headlines a list that celebrates diverse talent from across the continent.
However, notable omissions, such as Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface, have sparked debates about the transparency and consistency of CAF's nomination criteria.
What do we know about the CAF Player of the Year criteria?
The official criteria for selecting CAF Player of the Year nominees remain opaque.
While it is presumed that performances in club competitions and international tournaments carry weight, the balance between these factors is unclear.
Does success in AFCON hold more value than achievements in Europe’s top leagues? Are individual contributions prioritised over team success? The lack of transparency leaves fans and analysts guessing, which inevitably fuels frustration when deserving players are overlooked.
Where the criteria fall short
The current CAF Player of the Year nomination process seems to lack a consistent framework for evaluating players.
Victor Boniface, for instance, had an extraordinary season, contributing 31 goals in 34 games and helping Bayer Leverkusen secure the DFB-Pokal and their maiden Bundesliga title.
Yet his omission raises questions about whether club achievements hold enough sway in the selection process.
Boniface’s injury-enforced absence from the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) earlier this year might explain his exclusion, but should an individual’s brilliance in one sphere be overshadowed by a lack of participation in another?
Among those advocating for Boniface is compatriot and 2024 frontrunner Lookman, who acknowledged his teammate’s remarkable season.
“Boniface, my teammate, had an amazing season last year,” said Lookman, as quoted by Sporty TV, “with his personal achievements, personal goals, and also winning two titles last year with Leverkusen.”
Other notable omissions
Boniface is not alone in missing out. Mohamed Salah, William Troost-Ekong, and Mohammed Kudus have also found themselves on the outside looking in.
Salah, despite registering 39 goal contributions for Liverpool last season and starting the current campaign in scintillating form, was excluded.
Perhaps it reflects a higher bar set for the Egyptian superstar, whose consistent excellence seems to have been taken for granted.
For Troost-Ekong, his exclusion is puzzling given his stellar AFCON campaign, where he captained Nigeria with distinction and was named the tournament’s best player.
If AFCON performances are supposed to weigh heavily in the CAF Player of the Year reckoning, then Troost-Ekong’s omission undermines that narrative.
Similarly, Mohammed Kudus had a breakout season at West Ham United, establishing himself as a key player.
His 14 goals and six assists in his debut Premier League season — alongside a brief but impactful AFCON stint for Ghana — made his absence from the nominations equally baffling.
These omissions reveal inconsistencies in approach. Without clear guidelines, it becomes difficult to understand how CAF determines the continent's best players.
Is there a CAF Player of the Year scoring system in place? Do voters consider only major tournaments? Are there biases toward certain leagues or regions? Without answers to these questions, the process appears arbitrary and susceptible to criticism.
In the end, fans are left wondering: Is the CAF Player of the Year truly about rewarding the best, or is it a reflection of something far less clear?
What needs to change?
CAF has a responsibility to restore faith in its awards by adopting a more transparent and objective nomination process.
One solution could involve publishing detailed selection criteria that outline how individual and team performances are weighted.
Expanding the voting body to include a diverse range of experts — including former players, coaches, and journalists from across the continent — could also ensure a broader perspective and reduce potential biases.
