Victor Wanyama nominated for CAF African Player of the Year

Victor Wanyama has had a pretty good 2016, and he’s been rewarded with a nomination for a major footballing award. The defensive midfielder, who signed with Tottenham Hotspur this summer from Southampton, has been named as a candidate for the Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) African Footballer of the Year award.

That’s the good news! The bad news is that to win the award he’ll need to beat out 36 other nominees including last year’s winner Pierre-Emerick Aubemeyang of Borussia Dortmund. Other names familiar to football fans include Leicester attacking midfielder Riyad Mahrez, Bournemouth’s Max Gradel & Christian Atsu, Liverpool’s Sadio Mane, Everton midfielder Yannick Bolasie, Manchester City’s Yaya Toure, and Bayern Munich’s Mehdi Beniata.

It’s highly unlikely that Wanyama takes home the award regardless of how many crunching tackles he makes in Tottenham’s midfield, but it’s an honor just to be nominated, right?

The CAF African Footballer of the Year award has been awarded every year since 1982 and rewards the best African player in world football. Nominees can be born outside of Africa of African heritage, but must be fully declared to a CAF member national team.