The Ghanaian Footballer of the Year Award has been given out since 1975 and won by some of the best players the country has ever produced. As we approach the end of the calendar, we have taken a look at who is in contention for the award in 2020.
Thomas Partey
Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Partey is bidding for his third straight Ghanaian Football of the Year Award after claiming the prize in 2018 and 2019. The 27-year-old looks to be the favorite to receive the honor once again, where he would become only the second player in history to win the award three times.
Partey has had another consistent year for Atletico Madrid in La Liga in Spain. His side finished third in the 2019/20 campaign, behind Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively. Atletico began their new season with a 6-1 victory over Granada at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano, a sign they should once again be in contention for the title.
The Black Stars midfielder will be hoping to help Ghana qualify for the African Cup of Nations in 2021. If his nation makes it there, it will be his third appearance at the finals. Partey has proved to be one of the best midfielders in the world so it is no surprise that he is the centerpiece of the national team at the moment.
Jordan Ayew
Forward Jordan Ayew has a great chance of matching his brother Andre by winning the Ghanaian Footballer of the Year Award. The 29-year-old has been one of the Crystal Palace’s most important players in 2020 in the Premier League.
Ayew recently scored against Manchester United in his side’s excellent 3-1 victory at Old Trafford. With the Ghanaian in such good form, Palace look a good outside bet for a top-six finish this season.
The Premier League is a popular league in the online betting in Ghana and those who follow the action in England will have seen that Roy Hodgson’s men have got off to a flying start. Palace have had their odds cut to 25/1 to finish in the top six at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.
It is not just in a Palace shirt that Ayew has been shining over the last couple of years, he scored three times for the Black Stars in 2019. The experienced forward is likely to lead the line again when Ghana return to action later this year.
With 61 caps for his country to his name now, Ayew is proving to be one of the best to ever play for Ghana. This award would be a recognition of what has been a fantastic career so far.
Mohammed Kudus
Ghana are fortunate to have some talented young players knocking on the door of the senior team. One of them is striker Mohammed Kudus who made his debut for the Black Stars in 2019.
Kudus moved to Dutch champions Ajax during the summer transfer window. The 20-year-old is one of the most exciting young forwards in Europe. He will get the opportunity to feature in the Champions League this season, a great stage for him to impress.
The new Ajax forward has just two caps for Ghana. He scored against South Africa back in November in an African Cup of Nations Qualification game. Head coach Charles Akonnor looks to be a big fan of Kudus so expect to see him feature in Ghana’s next set of fixtures.
If successful in this award, Kudus would be one of the youngest players to lift the trophy in its history. It could also be the first of many for the Ajax forward as he could develop into one of the best strikers in world football over the next few years.
All three of the above players should also be in contention for the African Footballer of the Year. The last Ghanaian to win that award was Abedi Pele in 1993.