Patson Daka has made the five-man shortlist for the 2017 CAF Young Player of the Year award.
Daka inspirational performances at both junior and senior level over the last 11 months for Zambia have not gone unnoticed.
The striker’s four goals inspired the Zambia U20 to lift the 2017 U20 ASFCON as hosts in March and another three propelled them to the 2017 FIFA U20 Cup quarterfinals in South Korea.
Daka added another two goals in Zambia’s last three 2018 FIFA World Cup Group B qualifiers.
But Daka has some competition from Senegal striker Krepin Diatta who scored two goals for the 2017 U20 AFCON runners-up in Zambia and Amajita South Africa U20 striker Luther Singh who is also on the shortlist.
2017 CAF U17 runners-up Ghana striker and that tournaments top scorer Eric Aiyah who scored four goals and eventual champions Mali midfielder Salam Giddou complete the five-man shortlist.
Daka will be hoping to become ten second Zambian to win the award ten years after Clifford Mulenga collected the accolade.
And Daka’s team, Zambia Under-20, is also up for the 2017 CAF Team of the Year Award.
They will vie for honours against record eight-time African champions, 2018 FIFA World Cup finalists and 2017 AFCON runners-up Egypt.
Others are 2017 AFCON champions Cameron, 2018 FIFA World Cup finalists Nigeria and 2017CAF U20champions Mali.
Meanwhile, referee Jan Sikazwe who is on the official’s panel at the 2018FIFA World Cup in Russia is up for the 2017 Referees award.
Other contenders are Bamlak Tessema of Ethiopia, Egyptian Ghead Grisha, Malang Diedhiou of Senegal, Algerian Mehdi Abid Charef and Papa Bakary Gassama of Gambia will all join Sikazwe at the Russia FIFA World Cup.
Meanwhile, Zesco United defender Fackson Kapumbu, who made the preliminary nominations list for both the 2017 African-based and African footballer of The Year award, has failed to make the penultimate shortlist for the awards to be handed out on January 4 in Ghana.
Patson and the U20 should definitely scoop these awards.. Add the impact they have made in transforming their senior national teams. No contest!
Partson deserves this award.
After all the “Ng’onga-esque” stick that Patson received not so long ago, his brilliant performance over the last year & a half show a tremendous turn around of fortune & character.
May his form for club & country continue to rise in what I hope & pray will be a long & illustrious career, you can do it mwaice, provided you avoid any dealings with dubious agents or vultures…
Agreed! The boy got some serious stick under Lwandamina.. No one wanted him anywhere near the senior team but he showed focus and character to bang in goals for power and anounce his permanence in the senior team in roaring fashion. Long may he reign.
DAKA MUST WIN THE AWARD.HE DESERVES IT.VERY DISCIPLINED AND HARD WORKING PLAYER.
Anglo phone vs Francophone has always weighed against us. Let’s hope this nonsense will not resurface and the right person wins the award.
Asisat Osola for CAF women of the year. Daka for Best young player. Nigeria Super Eagles for the National team awards while Ghana u20 for women team of the year. Nigeria coach as the coach of the year. I stand to be corrected.