Ayew in final 3 for African Player of the Year award

Ghana midfielder Andre Dede Ayew has been named among the final shortlist for the 2015 African Player of the Year award.

The 26-year-old was hugely influential in Ghana’s 2015 Africa Cup of Nations campaign last February, as the Black Stars finished runners-up to Cote d’Ivoire.

The Swansea City star is up against Ivory Coast and Manchester City’s Yaya Toure and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Gabon and Borussia Dortmund.

The top 3 Shortlist .. Best Player in 2015
#CAF_Glo_awards pic.twitter.com/a6CuR317hq

— CAF (@CAF_Online) December 14, 2015

Toure, who captained Ivory Coast to an Africa Cup of Nations win in January, has won the award in the last four years.

Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o is the only other player to have been crowned the best on the continent four times by Caf, winning in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2010.

Caf named an original list of 37 players in October before cutting it down to ten last month.

For the African Player of the Year – Based in Africa, the top three finalists are; Baghdad Boundjah (Algeria/ Etoile du Sahel), TP Mazembe’s Mbwana Aly Samata and Robert Kidiaba .

The Top 3 Shortlist – best palyer based in Africa
#CAF_Glo_awards pic.twitter.com/naAznuLUMy

— CAF (@CAF_Online) December 14, 2015

The winner is to be decided by votes, and would involve input from Head Coaches or Technical Directors of the National Associations affiliated to CAF.

The winner ‎will be announced at an Awards Gala in Nigeria on January 7 2016.