Essien in BBC shortlist
Essien in BBC shortlist
Posted: 2009-12-01 10:39
Michael Essien has been named in the final shortlist of five for the 2009 BBC African Footballer of the Year award.
The Ghana and Chelsea midfielder will be looking to win the title he won in 2006 and make it a hat trick of titles for Ghanaians in the nine-year old event after former Bayern Munich defender Samuel Osei Kufuor picked up the award in 2001.
Essien is up against his Chelsea team mate Didier Drogba of the Ivory Coast, Barcelona and Ivory Coast midfielder Yahya Toure, Samuel Eto’o of Cameroon and Inter Milan and Tresor Mputu the Congo DR international who inspired their run to the first Championships of African Nations and helped TP Mazembe win the African Champions League title.
The shortlist of five was drawn up by African football experts from across the continent who draw up their top three choices from which the final shortlist was made.
Voting will however be done by African football fans via the broadcaster’s official website.
Cameroonian Samuel Eto’o is the early favourite for the award after scoring thirty five goals in a hugely impressive season when Barcelona won a treble of European, Spannish league and Copa del Rey titles.
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