The three shortlisted finalists are Andre Ayew of Olympique Marseille and Ghana, Seydou Keita, Barcelona and Mali, and Yaya Toure of Manchester City and Cote d’Ivoire.

Andre Ayew

Andre 'Dede' Ayew's rise to football prominence has been swift but not without its challenges.

The 21-year-old comes from a famous football family; his father Abedi 'Pele' Ayew was a three-time CAF African Footballer of the Year, his uncle Kwame Ayew was a Ghanaian international and represented the country at the 1992 Olympics.

With that background, Dede has really had to prove himself from day one and it looks like the youngster is up for the challenge.

The winger has become the key player in Marseille’s success this year, helping them to clinch the French League Cup and Super Cup.

In fact it was his hat-trick that helped Marseille to rally from two goals down to beat champions Lille 5-4 in the Super Cup in July.

By the end of the season in May he had scored 11 goals for Marseille and so far this season he has netted four times for the French giants.

He was also instrumental in the Black Stars qualification for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations with an unbeaten record.
But things have not always been smooth sailing for Dede who is now beginning to come into his own.



It was his performances for Ghana at the 2010 World Cup that went a long way to giving him an identity of his own.

That tournament came after another great display for the Black Stars at the 2010 Nations Cup and a year earlier at the 2009 Under 20 World Cup when he captained Ghana to Africa's first title at that level.

A year earlier, it was all so different for him.

He had been picked by Claude LeRoi, Ghana's then French coach for the 2008 Nations Cup despite widespread criticism and when he failed to shine in the semi-finals, the criticism only got louder.

But he has risen from that remarkably, maturing on loan at Arles Avignon from Olympic Marseille before finally convincing Didier Deschamps he is good enough for the Marseille first team.

So far this season he has proved his worth and with 32 caps already at age 21, there is more to come.

Seydou Keita

Mali international Seydou Keita of Barcelona remains among the most enduring talents in the African game.
In 2011 he achieved a league and Champions League double, a rare feat for any player.

Now he has being linked with a move to Liverpool in the English Premier League which shows that at 31, he is still considered a great get for any club.

But the Reds will have to wait until the summer to discover whether they can sign the talented midfielder.

Keita was flattered at Liverpool’s enquiries about him in a season where he has been struggling to get into the starting line-up at the Nou Camp.



"Liverpool are a great club and it is fantastic to hear they are interested in me but you know how I feel about Barcelona," he said, adding that he wants to play more games than he is at present.

"In football nothing is an absolute, so let's wait until the end of the season.

"The Premier League is very attractive and exciting for anyone," he added.

This year also saw Keita return to international duty for the first time in more than a year and a half.

After last year's Africa Cup of Nations finals in Angola, the midfield star, 27, took a break from the international game.
Following his return the Mali coach Alain Giresse expressed his gratitude to Keita and others for their personal sacrifices which helped the team book their place at African football’s high table.

Yaya Toure

Yaya Toure has not only cemented his place in a star-studded Manchester City side, he has added another winners medal to his collection and helped Ivory Coast to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations.

The midfielder played in all but three of City's league matches last season as he made a total of 50 appearances in all competitions and has been ever present this season up until the launch of this vote.

Manchester City in the early part of the season have proved that they could challenge for the English Premier League title this season.



The highlight of his year so far though, was scoring the goal that secured City's first trophy in 35 years as they beat Stoke 1-0 at Wembley to lift the FA Cup in May.

That's just the latest honour he has picked up in his career so far.

While at Barcelona he won the European Champions League, the European Super Cup, the Fifa Club World Cup, two Spanish league titles and a Copa del Rey medal, not to mention the Greek league title he earned at Olympiacos.
On the international scene in 2010 he helped Ivory Coast remain unbeaten and ensure the Elephants were the only side to win all of their qualifiers for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

The winner will be decided by votes by the Head coaches or Technical Directors of the National Associations affiliated to CAF.

The Awards Gala will be held on Thursday, December 22 at the Banquet Hall, State House in Accra, Ghana and it is the third time the West African country would be hosting the GLO CAF awards after successfully staging it in the 2006 and 2009.