Dede Ayew in frame for African Footballer of the Year award

Ghana’s Andre Ayew has made the 10 man shortlist to win the African Footballer of the Year. The Black Stars deputy skipper made the list after an initial 37 man list was released by CAF.

His exploits for Ghana at the World Cup in Brazil coupled with an impressive outing in the Cup of Nations in Equitorial Guinea this year contibuted to an impressive year for the Swansea attacking midfielder.

Fellow Ghana international and MVP of the AFCON 2015 Christian Atsu did not make the 10 man list despite being named on the initial 37 man list

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure is in contention to win the African Footballer of the Year award for a record fifth time after being named on the shortlist for the 2015 prize.

The Ivory Coast international is one of two players to have been named as the continent’s best four times, with the other being former Cameroon international Samuel Eto’o, who won the prize in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2010.

Toure will fancy his chances of receiving the award for a fifth time at the Jan. 7 ceremony after captaining Ivory Coast to a first African Nations Cup triumph in 23 years back in February.

The winner of the award will be decided by the votes of the coaches and technical directors of the national associations affiliated to CAF.

The full shortlist:

Andre Ayew (Swansea, Ghana)

Aymen Abdennour (Valencia, Tunisia)

Mudather Eltaib Ibrahim (El Hilal, Sudan)

Mohamed Salah (Roma, Egypt)

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund, Gabon)

Sadio Mane (Southampton, Senegal)

Serge Aurier (Paris Saint-Germain, Ivory Coast)

Sofiane Feghouli (Valencia, Algeria)

Yacine Brahimi (Porto, Algeria)

Yaya Toure (Manchester City, Ivory Coast)