2024 CAF Awards: Andre Onana and Carlos Baleba receive nominations
By Biwah Bryan
The Confederation of African Football has unveiled its nominees for the 2024 CAF Awards, with two Cameroonians making the cut.
André Onana and Carlos Baleba have been nominated for the Goalkeeper of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards, respectively.
For Andre Onana, this is the second consecutive year he has been nominated, but claiming the honor won’t come easily.
Onana faces formidable rivals, including Stanley Nwabali, 2023 AFCON finalist, Yahia Fofana, Côte d’Ivoire’s AFCON-winning goalkeeper and Ronwen Williams of South Africa who’s résumé includes being the best goalkeeper at the 2023 AFCON, playing in the Club World Cup, and reaching the CAF Champions League semifinals.
The situation is somehow different for Carlos Baleba, who may find it difficult to win his category.
His chances of winning may solely depend on his performances with his club and a few matches played for the Lions during the 2026 World Cup and AFCON qualifiers.
His opponents for the Young player of the year award include players like Oumar Diakité, who won the AFCON with Côte d’Ivoire, Lamine Camara, Abdul Aziz, and several other talented players who played in the AFCON and have equally been on top form at club level
Notably, no Cameroonian player was nominated for the Best Player of the Year award, a stark contrast to the 2023 edition when Vincent Aboubakar received a nomination.
The official CAF Awards ceremony will take place in Morocco on December 16, 2024.
