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Elneny nominated for top African award

Mohamed Elneny applauds the crowd

Mohamed Elneny has been nominated for the 2021/22 CAF Men’s Player of the Year award.

The Egyptian midfielder has been named on the 30-man shortlist for African football’s top prize, having earned a spot in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament for his displays earlier this year after his nation reached the final before being beaten on penalties by Senegal.

The 29-year-old also made 17 appearances last term for Mikel Arteta’s side, establishing himself in the line-up during the run-in.

He will be up against eight current Premier League players including Mohamed Salah, Edouard Mendy and Riyad Mahrez, as well as a host of stars plying their trade around the world.

The shortlist, covering performances since September 2021, was decided upon by a panel of CAF legends, technical experts and journalists, with the winner decided by CAF’s technical committee, media professionals, head coaches and captains of member associations and clubs involved in the group stages of continental competitions.

It is the first time the award will be presented since 2019 due to the pandemic, with recent Bayern Munich recruit Sadio Mane the current holder.

Arsenal has some history with this award, with both Nwankwo Kanu (1999) and Emmanuel Adebayor (2008) scooping the prize during their time with the Gunners. In fact, only three clubs ever have had representatives win the trophy more times than us.

Full list of nominees:

  • Riyad Mahrez (Algeria & Manchester City)
  • Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso & Aston Villa)
  • Blati Toure (Burkina Faso & Pyramids)
  • Edmund Tapsoba (Burkina Faso & Bayer Leverkusen)
  • Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (Cameroon & Napoli)
  • Karl Toko Ekambi (Cameroon & Lyon)
  • Vincent Aboubacar (Cameroon & Al Nassr)
  • Youssouf M'Changama (Comoros & Guingamp)
  • Franck Kessie (Cote d’Ivoire & AC Milan)
  • Sebastien Haller (Cote d’Ivoire & Ajax)
  • Mohamed Abdelmonem (Egypt & Al Ahly)
  • Mohamed ElNeny (Egypt & Arsenal)
  • Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Liverpool)
  • Mohamed Shenawy (Egypt & Al Ahly)
  • Musa Barrow (Gambia & Bologna)
  • Naby Keita (Guinea & Liverpool)
  • Aliou Dieng (Mali & Al Ahly)
  • Hamari Traore (Mali & Rennes)
  • Yves Bissouma (Mali & Tottenham Hotspur)
  • Achraf Hakimi (Morocco & Paris Saint-Germain)
  • Sofiane Boufal (Morocco & Angers)
  • Yahya Jabrane (Morocco & Wydad Athletic Club)
  • Yassine Bounou (Morocco & Sevilla)
  • Moses Simon (Nigeria & Nantes)
  • Edouard Mendy (Senegal & Chelsea)
  • Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal & Napoli)
  • Nampalys Mendy (Senegal & Leicester City)
  • Sadio Mane (Senegal & Bayern Munich)
  • Saliou Ciss (Senegal & Nancy)
  • Ali Maaloul (Tunisia & Al Ahly)
See Full List

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