Cameroon and Morocco shotstoppers Andre Onana and Yassine Bono both top the list of nominees for the Goalkeeper of the Year award for the upcoming Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards slated for December 11 in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh.
The duo, who were also nominated for the Yashin trophy in the 2023 Ballon d’Or award, is expected to battle against eight of the continent’s best to claim this year’s honour.
Your nominees for Goalkeeper of the Year (MEN) award are in! ????#CAFAwards2023 pic.twitter.com/oduoCRJL2O
— CAF (@CAF_Online) November 1, 2023
Onana, who recently returned to the Cameroon national team and helped them book a place at next year’s Africa Cup of Nations, was one of the best goalkeepers in Europe last season, keeping 19 clean sheets in all competitions, and he also won the Golden Glove in the UEFA Champions League for the 2022–23 season.
The Manchester United man, who spent last season in Italy with Inter Milan, won the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana and got to the Champions League final, where they lost to Manchester City.
Bono, who finished third in the Yashin trophy ranking, had an outstanding year for both club and country, helping the Atlas Lions to a historic outing at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where he finished three clean sheets and became the first African to reach that number at a World Cup.
The Al-Hilal goalie also won the Europa League with Sevilla last season, saving two penalties in the final against Roma.
Onana and Bono will compete for the award with the likes of Mohamed El Shenawy (Egypt), Ronwen Williams (South Africa), Edouard Mendy (Senegal), Oussama Benbot (Algeria), Youssef El Motie (Morocco), Djigui Diarra (Mali), Pape Mamadou Sy (Senegal), and Landing Badji (Senegal).
