Former Harambee Stars captain Victor Wanyama is among football legends selected to grace the CAF Awards 2024 set to be held on Monday 16 December in Marrakech, Morocco.
The event, which will honour the best performing players, coaches and teams this year, will be held at the Palais des Congrès from 19h00 local time (18h00 GMT/ 20h00 Cairo time/ 21h00 East African time).
The annual gala shines a spotlight on African football excellence over the previous 12 months, but the presence of the legends allows for reflection on the African game that goes back much further.
Apart from Wanyama, who has been a stalwart of Kenyan football since bursting onto the scene more than 15 years ago and helping his nation to qualification for the 2019 TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, CAF has also lined up some other stars.
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They include ex-Mali midfielder Seydou Keita, who played over 100 times for his country and was a star of the all-conquering FC Barcelona side between 2008 and 2012, collecting every piece of silverware on offer, including the UEFA Champions League twice.
Mohamed Zidan won back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations titles with Egypt in 2008 and 2010, and successive German Bundesliga trophies with Borussia Dortmund in 2011 and 2012, showcasing the flair of Egyptian football.
Double Olympic 800-metres champion Caster Semenya, who brings her star quality from outside the world of football, will make her appearance at the event.
Former Cameroon goalkeeper Joseph Antoine Bell went to three FIFA World Cups with the Indomitable Lions in a 17-year international career after which he is regarded as one of the continent’s great glovemen.
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Women’s football will be well represented too, with former South Africa striker Portia Modise, who scored 101 goals for her country, in attendance, along with ex-Ghana star Alberta Sackey and former Equatorial Guinea forward Genoveva Añonman.
Fabrice Akwa captained Angola to qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, a historic moment for football in the country, scoring the winning goal against Rwanda that took his side to the global showpiece event in Germany.
The 2024 CAF Awards are a chance to celebrate African unity and excellence, and Legends form a crucial part of that rich tapestry as those who have helped the game grow on the continent in the preceding decades.
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CAF Awards 2024 nomination categories
1. Men’s Player of the Year
2. Women’s Player of the Year
3. Men’s Coach of the Year
4. Women’s Coach of the Year
5. Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year
6. Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year
7. Men’s Interclub Player of the Year
8. Women’s Interclub Player of the Year
9. Men’s Young Player of the Year
10. Women’s Young Player of the Year
11. Men’s National Team of the Year
12. Women’s National Team of the Year
13. CAF/FIFPro Africa Best XI (Men)
14.CAF/FIFPro Africa Best XI (Women)15. Africa FIFPro Best XI16.Women Africa FIFPro Best XI
17. Goal of the Year