The presence of two Egyptians among the African Football Federation (CAF) list for the top five contenders to win the continent's footballer of year award was met by widespread delight among our football fans. No Egyptian players won the prestigious honor since Mahmoud Al-Khatib in 1983, and with Mohamed Abou-Treika and Amr Zaki nominated for the award we all hope they can shrug off competition from other nominees. Let's take a look at the year that has been and see what real chances Abou-Treika or Zaki have of being named African footballer of the year. Other nominees include 2006 winner Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast. The Chelsea striker didn't have the best of years after operating his knee and missing a month of action at the start of last season. However, he came back on time to help Ivory Coast reach the African Cup of Nations (CAN 2008) semi-final scoring three goals in the process. After the tournament, Drogba featured in Chelsea's successful Champions League campaign where the Blues reached the final before losing on penalties to Manchester United. In general, he managed a total of 15 goals for Chelsea in all competitions which by far less impressive than his 33 goals the previous year.
Adebayor had an impressive year Another contender for the award is Chelsea player Michael Essien. The Ghanaian midfielder had a good campaign for his country at CAN and was named in the tournament's best eleven. With his club, he played an integral part in Chelsea's way to the Champions League final. With a fourth nomination in four years, Essien is definitely a very strong candidate for this year's African player award. Also among the nominees is Togolese striker Emmanuel Adebayor. The Arsenal hitman had a brilliant year filling the huge void left by the departure of Thierry Henry. Adebayor scored a brilliant 24 league goals last season and has six strikes in into his account this term. One disadvantage for the 24-year-old in his hunt for the title might be the lack of any international achievements after Togo failed to qualify for CAN 2008. Despite the fierce competition, Amr Zaki still has a very good chance of winning the award. The Egypt forward had a great CAN 2008, and his four goals were crucial in winning the title for the Pharaohs. He crowned his move to the Premiership with five league goals for Wigan Athletic and some solid displays that tipped him for a move to some of Britain's biggest clubs. Abou-Treika also scored four times for Egypt at CAN, but after the tournament a string of injuries kept him out of the game for a while. He might be the most talented but he is the only domestic based player the nominees which might dent his hopes of winning the award.
