African Player of the Year: Ibrahim Sunday decries constant snub of Ghana players

Former Ghana international Ibrahim Sunday has expressed frustration over why Ghanaian players have struggled to make the top three let alone win the African Footballer of the Year Award.

Abedi Pele was the last Ghanaian to win the coveted prize in 1993 with his son, Andre Ayew being the last Ghanaian to come closer in third in 2015 behind second placed Yaya Toure and eventual winner, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

A Ghanaian player is yet to enter the top three slot for the award in the last ten-years and Ibrahim Sunday, who won the award in 1971, is worried at the constant snub of Ghanaian players even though some have shown quality across Europe.

Sunday decries constant snub of Ghanaian players

“We have Ghanaian players outside and they deserve that opportunity and I don’t know they forget about them so I think it’s up to them to look around and see [because] we have some good players playing outside,” Ibrahim Sunday told Radio Gold.

“We have [Mohammed] Kudus, we have other boys, I don’t know [what’s happening] but I think some of them deserve the opportunity.

Former Ghana internationals, Samuel Osei Kuffour, Michael Essien, Asamoah Gyan and Andre Ayew have managed to enter the top three in the last two decades but missed out on the award.

The 2024 African Footballer of the Year was won by Morocco right-back, Achaf Hakimi shrugging off competition from Egypt star Mohamed Salah and Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen.

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