Mohamed Salah and Achraf Hakimi challenged by MLS star in finalists list for African Player of the Year
As 2025 draws to a close, it’s time to look back and reflect on the year’s top performances. Recently, Ousmane Dembele won the Ballon d’Or, and the awards recognizing the best players and teams from Africa are just around the corner. Among the finalists, a Major League Soccer standout will go up against Achraf Hakimi and Mohamed Salah.
On Wednesday, CAF revealed the lists of finalists for the 2025 awards through its official social media channels. Unsurprisingly, the most anticipated category is African Player of the Year, which includes 10 nominees.
Mohamed Salah headlines the list thanks to his outstanding performances with Liverpool during the 2024-25 season, in which the Reds won the Premier League title. The Egyptian winger scored 29 goals in that campaign, finishing as the league’s top scorer ahead of stars like Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Newcastle’s Alexander Isak.
The other leading contender is Achraf Hakimi. The Moroccan right-back played a key role for Paris Saint-Germain in their historic 2024-25 season, during which Luis Enrique guided the team to titles in the UEFA Champions League, Ligue 1, and Coupe de France.
Salah and Hakimi were so dominant during the 2024-25 season that both finished in the top ten of the Ballon d’Or rankings awarded by France Football last month. The Liverpool winger placed fourth, behind only Dembele, Lamine Yamal, and Vitinha, while the PSG defender came in sixth.
A star from MLS among the finalists for African Player of the Year
Joining Mohamed Salah and Achraf Hakimi are eight other players hoping to take home the prestigious award. Most of them also play in Europe: Napoli’s Frank Anguissa, Borussia Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy, Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen, Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye, and Tottenham’s Pape Sarr.
However, three players have earned their place despite not playing in one of the world’s top leagues. Oussama Lamlioui, a forward for RS Berkane in Morocco, and Fiston Mayele, also a forward, who plays for Pyramids FC in Egypt, are the only finalists still playing in African domestic leagues.
The final name on the list comes from MLS: Denis Bouanga. The 30-year-old forward, born in France but representing Gabon, has had an outstanding 2025 campaign with Los Angeles FC, earning him a nomination for African Player of the Year. He recorded 30 goals and 9 assists across all competitions in 2025 and finished second in the MLS scoring chart, just behind Lionel Messi.
Who has won the African Player of the Year?
CAF introduced the African Player of the Year award in 1992, and since then, it has annually honored the continent’s most outstanding stars. The first winner was Abedi Pele, a Ghanaian midfielder who starred for Olympique Marseille at the time. In the years that followed, legends such as George Weah and Nwankwo Kanu claimed the prize.
Samuel Eto’o and Yaya Toure share the record for most wins, with four each, while other global icons like Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Didier Drogba have each won it twice. The most recent recipient is Ademola Lookman, who had a standout year with Atalanta in 2024.