African Footballer of the Year shortlist: Yaya Toure goes for four in a row, MLS player makes it

Yaya Toure is looking to become the first player to win four-straight African Footballer of the Year awards, as the Manchester City star has been named as one of 25 players on the CAF shortlist.

The Ivory Coast leader held off John Obi Mikel, Didier Drogba and Seydou Keita from 2011-13, and will have to beat a host of players from big name clubs if he wants to join Samuel Eto’o as the only players to have won the award four times.

FIFA reports that South Africa’s Senzo Meyiwa, murdered last month, is on the list of players who can win the award given to those who play solely on the continent.

Crystal Palace has the list, as it announced its Democratic Republic of Congo winger, Yannick Bolasie, is on the list along with AS Roma’s Gervinho, Swansea City’s Wilfried Bony and Tottenham Hotspur’s Emmanuel Adebayor.

[ RELATED: Both sides of Manchester in injury trouble ]

There’s an MLS player in the mix as well, as Philadelphia Union goalkeeper and Algerian World Cup hero Rais M’Bohli made the list.

Toure is the clear favorite to win the award, though Algeria’s strong World Cup could give a boost to one of its four members on the list: Islam Slimani (Sporting Lisbon), Yacine Brahimi (Porto), Keita (AS Roma) and M’Bohli.

The winner will be announced on Jan. 8, 2015. Here’s the list in full:
2014 African Footballer of the Year shortlist

Ahmed Musa - (Nigeria, CSKA Moscow)

Asamoah Gyan - (Ghana, Al Ain)

Dame N’doye - (Senegal, Lokomotiv Moscow)

Emmanuel Adebayor - (Togo, Tottenham)

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting - (Cameroon, Schalke 04)

Fakhreddine Ben Youssef - (Tunisia, CS Sfaxien)

Ferdjani Sassi - (Tunisia, CS Sfaxien)

Gervinho - (Cote d’Ivoire, AS Roma)

Islam Slimani - (Algeria, Sporting Lisbon)

Kwadwo Asamoah - (Ghana, Juventus)

PORTO ALEGRE, BRAZIL - JUNE 30: Rais M’Bolhi of Algeria reacts during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Round of 16 match between Germany and Algeria at Estadio Beira-Rio on June 30, 2014 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

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Mehdi Benatia - (Morocco, Bayern Munich)

Mohamed El Neny - (Egypt, Basel)

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - (Gabon, Borussia Dortmund)

Raïs M’Bolhi - (Algeria, Philadelphia Union)

Sadio Mané - (Senegal, Southampton)

Seydou Kieta - (Mali, As Roma)

Sofiane Feghouli - (Algeria, Valencia)

Stephane Mbia - (Cameroon, Sevilla)

Thulani Serero - (South Africa, Ajax)

Vincent Aboubakar - (Cameroon, Porto)

Vincent Enyeama - (Nigeria, Lille)

Wilfried Bony - (Cote d’Ivoire, Swansea)

Yacine Brahimi - (Algeria, Porto)
Yannick Bolasie - (DR Congo, Crystal Palace)

Yaya Toure - (Cote d’Ivoire, Man City)

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