CAF Awards: A look at the trio nominated for the Goalkeeper of the Year award
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The best African Goalkeeper in the men’s category will officially be announced on Monday, 11 December in Marrakech, Morocco as CAF prepares to host the highly-anticipated 2023 CAF Awards.
Three of the best shot stoppers have been shortlisted which include Andre Onana, Mohamed El Shenawy and Yassine Bounou.
Andre Onana (Cameroon, Manchester United)
The career of Cameroonian goalkeeper, Andre Onana was distinguished during the year 2023, especially at the club level where he kept a clean sheet in 21 matches (14 with Inter Milan, 7 with Manchester United).
Andre Onana is the only goalkeeper to have made the most appearances for clubs in the top five European leagues this year (50 in all competitions). He was also distinguished by his impressive saves which allowed him to be on the final list of candidates for the CAF Awards.
Mohamed El-Shenawy (Egypt, Al-Ahly of Egypt)
The ever-green, Mohamed El-Shenawy led his Egyptian club, Al-Ahly to a record 11th TotalEnergies CAF Champions League title, where he excelled at the competition being the keeper with the most clean sheets (6).
El-Shenawy was also brilliant in national team colours during international matches and remains one of the best shot-stoppers on the continent that has remained consistent over the years.
Yacine Bounou (Morocco, Al Hilal Saudi Arabia)
One of the reasons that Morocco made history at the FIFA World Cup was as a result of acrobatic saves made by Yassine Bounou.
The shot-stopper was instrumental in the Atlas Lions’ historic semi-final achievement in Qatar and has been equally good for his club, Al Hilal.
Bounou also became the highest-ranked African goalkeeper in the history of the Ballon d’Or (13th place in 2023).
His impressive performance at the global stage has certainly earned him the right to be amongst the top three of Africa’s best goalkeepers.
