Former Ghana midfielder Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu has expressed his support for Mohammed Kudus, predicting that the West Ham star will eventually win the African Player of the Year award, despite his surprising exclusion from CAF’s 10-man shortlist this year.
Kudus has had a stellar debut season in the Premier League, scoring 14 goals and providing six assists, but it was not enough to earn him a nomination alongside top contenders like Ademola Lookman, Achraf Hakimi, and Chancel Mbemba.
Agyemang-Badu acknowledged the disappointment of Kudus’ omission but also recognized the exceptional performances of the nominated players.
“I was hoping he would make the shortlist, but there were also many outstanding players who performed exceptionally well in Africa last year,” he told Flashscore.com.
Ghana has not won the CAF award since Abedi Ayew in 1992, but Agyemang-Badu believes Kudus has the potential to end this 32-year drought.
“Kudus is still young and has plenty of opportunities to be crowned Africa’s best. He just needs to stay focused, keep learning, and continue to grow. His time will come,it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
Since Abedi’s victory, Ghanaian players like Michael Essien, Asamoah Gyan, and Andre Ayew have come close to winning the award but have fallen short.
Essien was shortlisted in the top three from 2005 to 2009, Gyan narrowly lost to Samuel Eto’o in 2011, and Dede Ayew finished third in 2015, losing to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
