Nigerian wingers Moses Simon and Akinkunmi Amoo have both taken to social media to react to being nominated for the CAF Awards 2022 which will be held on 21 July 2022 in Rabat, Morocco.
While the Nantes star is in the running for the main prize, Player of the Year (Men), the FC Copenhagen wonderkid has been shortlisted for the Young Player of the Year.
Simon’s nomination did not come as a surprise after his outstanding performance in the group stage of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations and ending the 2021-2022 season with fourteen goal involvements in 30 outings in the French Ligue 1.
Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, Senegal trio Sadio Mane, Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy, Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, Cameroon’s Vincent Aboubacar and Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez are his main challengers for the award.
Simon is hoping to become the first Nigerian player to win the CAF Player of the Year since Arsenal legend Nwankwo Kanu who was named the continent’s top player for 1999.
Amoo is one of the high profile players nominated for the Young Player of the Year, a list that also includes Ilaix Moriba Kourouma (Valencia), Hannibal Mejbri (Manchester United) and Karim Konate (Red Bull Salzburg).
Simon and Amoo posted on their official Twitter accounts: ‘Woke up to the news of my nomination for CAF Player of the Year Award[MEN]@CAF_Online this is not for me but for my coaches, teammates, family and friends. To God be the glory,’ he wrote.
While Amoo twitted ‘ Thank you @CAF_Online, Thank you Africa!’
