Junior Starlets’ goal machine Valerie Nekesa is one of the nominees for the 2024 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Young Player of the Year award in the women’s category.
Nekesa was the only East African player in the list released by CAF on Wednesday evening.
She will fight for the coveted award with nine other players from different regions including the Nigerian duo of Chiamaka Okwuchukwu and Flourish Sabastine.
Lina Mokhtar Jamai (Morocco), Doha El Madani (Morocco), Stella Nyamekye (Ghana), Habiba Sabry (Egypt), Nthabiseng Majiya (South Africa), Naomi Eto (Cameroon) and Cathy Biya (Cameroon) are also in contention.
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Nekesa had a remarkable 2024 season which saw her help Junior Starlets become the first Kenyan national football team to qualify for a FIFA World Cup tournament.
At the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup staged in the Dominican Republic, the talented player scored Kenya’s first-ever goal in the tournament.
She found the back of the net in the unforgettable 2-1 win over South American opponents in a Group C encounter.
Lorna Faith also got her name in Junior Starlets’ score sheet with Alexa Soto scoring Mexico’s consolation goal in the dying stages of the clash.
Back in March, the Rising Starlets forward Valerie Nekesa was also honoured as the most promising girl in the Sports Personality of the Year Awards 2023.
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Besides her brilliant performance at the global showpiece, Nekesa also registered impressive displays for her Madira Girls High School.
Apart from Nekesa, the Junior Starlets were nominated for the women’s National Team of the Year award while the team’s tactician Mildred Cheche bagged a nomination for the Coach of the Year award also in the women’s category.
The excellent news comes barely two days after Cheche graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in business management.
The 2024 CAF award ceremony is scheduled to be staged in Marrakech, Morocco on Monday, December 16.
Valerie Nekesa earns CAF nomination
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