Former Ghana midfielder Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu has expressed his support for Mohammed Kudus in his pursuit of the African Player of the Year award.
Despite an impressive debut season with West Ham United, where he scored 14 goals and provided six assists, Kudus was notably absent from this year’s 10-man shortlist for the prestigious award.
Agyemang-Badu expressed his disappointment over Kudus’ exclusion but also recognized the talent of the players who did make the cut.
“I was hoping he would be included in the shortlist, but there were many exceptional players who had outstanding performances in Africa last year,” the U-20 World Cup winner told Flashscore.com.
Ghana has faced a 32-year drought in the CAF awards since Abedi Ayew last claimed the title in 1992, but Agyemang-Badu is optimistic that Kudus has the potential to end this dry spell.
“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 in 1992, other Ghanaian stars like Michael Essien, Asamoah Gyan, and Andre Ayew have come close to winning the award but have not succeeded.
Essien was a finalist from 2005 to 2009, Gyan narrowly lost to Samuel Eto’o in 2011, and Dede Ayew finished third in 2015 behind Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.