Antoine Semenyo has been nominated for the 2026 CAF Men’s Player of the Year award as Ghana seeks its first winner since Abedi Ayew Pele claimed the honour 34 years ago.
The Manchester City forward is one of 10 players shortlisted after scoring 15 goals and providing eight assists in 42 appearances for club and country during 2026.
Semenyo’s nomination gives Ghana another opportunity to end a long wait for the award, although he follows a number of compatriots who have come close since Abedi Pele’s success in 1992.
Samuel Osei Kuffour was runner-up twice. The former Bayern Munich defender finished behind Nigeria’s Nwankwo Kanu in 1999 before Senegal’s El Hadji Diouf denied him again in 2001.
Michael Essien was also regularly among the leading contenders during his career. The former Chelsea midfielder came second in 2007 and finished third in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009.
Asamoah Gyan placed second in 2010 after helping Ghana reach the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
Andre Ayew completed the final three in both 2011 and 2015, finishing third on each occasion. Several other Ghanaian players have appeared on the shortlist without reaching the podium.
In 2010, Kevin-Prince Boateng and Andre Ayew were named among the initial 10 nominees alongside Gyan. Neither made the final selection, while Gyan advanced to the final five.
Ayew was Ghana’s only representative on the 2012 shortlist. Kwadwo Asamoah and Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu were not included in the final 10 that year.
Ghana’s previous winners
Abedi Pele remains Ghana’s most recent winner, having received the award in 1992 after an outstanding spell with Olympique Marseille. He also won the France Football African Player of the Year award three consecutive times, in 1991, 1992 and 1993.
Ghana had already produced two African Footballer of the Year winners before CAF introduced its current award. Ibrahim Sunday won in 1971, followed by Karim Abdul Razak in 1978, but neither received the CAF-administered prize.
Semenyo will now attempt to become only the second Ghanaian to win the CAF award when the 2026 CAF Awards take place in Lagos, Nigeria, on December 7.
