By Geraldine Duodu
Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan and compatriots Andre Ayew and Kevin-Prince Boateng have been named in Caf's ten-man shortlist for the 2010 Player of the Year award.
The nominees were determined by the Media, Technical and Football Committees of Caf taking into consideration the performance of the players during the year under review from January-November 2010.
The list was released on Saturday night with the Sunderland striker Gyan, a genuine cotender for the prestigious individual accolade on the the contender.
The 24-year-old was Ghana's top scorer at this year's Nations Cup finals in Angola and propelled the Black Stars to the final only to lose to eventual winners Egypt.
Gyan replicated that form at the World Cup six months later by scoring a crucial an extra-time goal against USA to progress to the quarter-final.
He missed a penalty at the death of the game in extra-time and Ghana were eliminated by Uruguay via penalty shoot-out.
Then with French Ligue 1 side Rennes, he netted 13 goals.
But Gyan faces competition from Ivory Coast captain and Chelsea forward Didier Drogba and Cameroon's Samuel Eto'O Fils who all had a quiet Nations Cup and World Cup campaigns.
Ayew, 20, son of African football legend has been rewarded for his impressive showcase at the Nations Cup and World Cup.
AC Milan midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng, who switched nationality to play for the West Africa country before the World Cup, made the preliminary cut.
For the 2010 Player of the Year, the nominees are in alphabetical order:
Ahmed Hassan (Al-Ahly and Egypt), Andre Ayew (Olympique Marseille and Ghana), Kevin Prince Boateng (AC Milan and Ghana), Madjid Bougherra (Rangers and Algeria), Didier Drogba (Chelsea and Cote d’Ivoire), Samuel Eto’o Fils (Inter Milan and Cameroon), Mohamed Nagy ‘Gedo’ (Al-Ahly and Egypt), Asamoah Gyan (Sunderland and Ghana), Salomon Kalou (Chelsea and Cote d’Ivoire), and Seydou Keita (Barcelona and Mali).
The contenders for the African-based Player of the Year are:
Ahmed Hassan (Al-Ahly and Egypt), Oussama Darragi (Esperance and Tunisia), Alain Kaluyituka Dioko (TP Mazembe and DR Congo), Michael Eneramo (Esperance and Nigeria) and Mohamed Nagy ‘Gedo’ (Al-Ahly and Egypt).
The winner of each category will be decided by votes from the respective senior national teams’ Head Coaches or Technical Directors of the 53 National Associations affiliated to Caf.
The Awards Gala 2010 will be organized on 20 December, 2010 in Cairo, Egypt.