The BBC has revealed the five candidates who have been shortlisted for the BBC African Footballer of the Year award.
The winner will be announced on 17 December. The five contenders are former Chelsea lynchpin Didier Drogba, Newcastle United striker Demba Ba, Yaya Toure of Manchester City, Zambia skipper Christopher Katongo and Younes Belhanda of Morocco and Montpellier.
The winner of the prize last year was Ghanaian midfielder and Marseille winger Andre Ayew.
Total Football’s Simon Wright gives his view of each of the contenders and their merits for the prize.
Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
It seems odd to think that in his days as a Barcelona player, Yaya Toure was a holding midfielder.
Roberto Mancini made him into a more attacking midfielder when he arrived at Manchester City and Toure has now become a pivotal part in the way City play.
He played a huge part in the club ending their title drought of 44 years and when he wasn’t playing, the Citizens did miss his presence on the first-team.
He has huge energy levels, great stamina and plenty of confidence in his game. Although he hasn’t been at his best this season, Manchester City look unstoppable when he is on form.
He has a great chance of taking this fantastic honour for the first time.
Didier Drogba (Shanghai Shenhua and Ivory Coast)
He won the award in 2009 but Didier Drogba is probably the favourite to win the BBC African Footballer of the Year.
Drogba’s name has often been in the headlines in 2012 and it has regularly been for the right reasons.
He made up for the crushing disappointment of missing a penalty in the African Nations Cup final as his country were stunned by Zambia in the final, with a brilliant end to his Chelsea career.
Drogba inspired the Blues to an FA Cup semi-final demolition of Tottenham, the crucial goal in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona and the winning strike in the FA Cup final to overcome Liverpool.
Two weeks later, he saved the best till last with a fantastic header to bring the Londoners level in the Champions League final. Then, he scored the winning penalty in the shootout to complete the greatest night in Chelsea’s history.
Now in Shanghai, Drogba is missed in the Premier League but the memories with Chelsea fans will remain for a lifetime.
Demba Ba (Newcastle United and Senegal)
Demba Ba had a tricky start to 2012 as he struggled in a Senegal side that failed to live upto expectations at the African Nations Cup.
Ba (pictured) returned to Newcastle United in February and lost his form and confidence as strike partner and countryman Papiss Cisse took the limelight with his regular ability to find the back of the net.
The summer break has reinvigorated him and he has returned in great form. Ba has scored eight times in the Premier League and is only behind Luis Suarez and Robin van Persie in the goalscorers charts.
Ba is always likely to score a goal and the Magpies would be lost without his goals so far this term.
His slow start to the year means he is an outsider for the award but don’t count Ba out for a surprise. He is probably the most potent goalscorer in African football.
Christopher Katongo (Henan Construction and Zambia)
2012 has been a memorable year for Zambian football and for Christopher Katongo.
The skipper lifted the African Nations Cup trophy in February after the epic and shock penalty shootout victory against the Ivory Coast.
Katongo made his debut six years ago for Zambia and has been their main goalscorer in recent years, scoring a hat-trick amongst his feats in Cape Town against 2013 hosts South Africa in 2007.
He has played in Europe for Brondby, Armenia Bielefeld and Xanthi before transferring to Henan Construction and the popular Chinese Super League in 2011.
He is an inspirational leader and a worthy contender for a prestigious award.
Younes Belhanda (Montpellier and Morocco)
It has been a great year for Younes Belhanda, who experienced domestic glory with Montpellier.
Starting the year as a determined defensive midfielder, he was moved into a more attacking position and started to threaten Ligue 1 defences week in week out.
The masterstroke worked and Belhanda became a prominent part of Montpellier’s success, as they just about held off PSG to take the title in France against the odds.
He scored his first international goal for his country against Niger in Morocco’s disappointing African Nations Cup tournament and even though Montpellier have struggled this season, he hasn’t and has been hugely impressive again.
Now with a strike rate of one goal every two games, this has been a year to remember for Belhanda. He is probably an outsider for this award but is a name to look out for in the future.
By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88
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