CAF has announced the 2025 African POTY nominees, with Egypt captain Mohamed Salah leading the list, while Omar Marmoush was excluded.
Salah is in contention for the award after a record-breaking season with Liverpool. The forward fired the Reds to the Premier League title in addition to being the Premier League’s top goal scorer and playmaker, topping both charts for the first time in his career. He also led Egypt to qualification for both the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The 33-year-old is joined on the list by Pyramids FC striker Fiston Mayele, who scored decisively in both the CAF Champions League and Super Cup finals. Also nominated for the award is Nigerian forward and 2023 winner Victor Osimhen.
Morocco are represented by PSG full-back Achraf Hakimi and RS Berkane midfielder Oussama Lamlioui, who had a strong Confederation Cup campaign and ended the season with 18 goals and 3 assists.
Other names on the list include Cameroon’s Andre Frank Zambo-Anguissa (Napoli), Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund), Gabon’s Denis Bouanga (LAFC), and Senegal’s duo of Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham) and Iliman Ndiaye (Everton), the latter having recorded 11 goals and no assists.
However, one of the biggest surprises was the absence of Omar Marmoush. The Egypt international scored 28 goals and registered 17 assists across competitions last season. Marmoush starred in both the Bundesliga with Eintracht Frankfurt and at Manchester City. Despite his form in two of the top five European leagues and in addition to winning the Premier League Goal of the Season award, Omar Marmoush did not make the shortlist.
The winner of the CAF Player of the Year award will be announced at the confederation’s annual awards ceremony later this year.