Nigerian youngsters miss out as CAF unveils Young Player of the Year nominees

The Confederation of African Football has announced its Young Player of the Year nominees for 2024, with no Nigerian making the prestigious ten-man shortlist.

The list is dominated by emerging talents from across the continent, with Ivory Coast showing particularly strong representation through Oumar Diakite and Karim Konate.

Cameroon’s Carlos Baleba and Ghana’s Abdul Aziz Issah have also earned their places among the continent’s most promising young talents.

The North African region is well represented by Morocco’s Bilal El Khannouss and Tunisia’s Amanallah Memmiche.

Equatorial Guinea’s Yankuba Minteh joins the elite group, while the Senegalese duo of El Hadji Malick Diouf and Lamine Camara showcase the wealth of young talent emerging from the West African nation.

Morocco’s Eliesse Ben Seghir rounds out the impressive list of nominees.

The absence of Nigerian youngsters from the shortlist is particularly notable, especially considering Nigeria’s historical track record in producing young football talents.

The CAF Awards 2024 ceremony will crown one of these promising youngsters as Africa’s best young player, recognising their achievements and potential impact on the future of African football.