Ghana midfielder, Michael Essien could win a successive BBC African Footballer of the Year award after been named in the five-man shortlist for the award.
A five-man shortlist for the 2007 BBC African Footballer of the Year award was announced today.
The Chelsea player won the 2006 title.
Essien has been nominated alongside his Chelsea colleague Didier Drogba and Arsenal's Emmanuel Adebayor.
The Spain-based duo of Mali striker Frederic Kanoute (Sevilla) and Cameroon star Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona) have also made the list.
The shortlist was drawn up through consultation with sports reporters from every country in Africa.
According to the BBC, organisers of the awards, each reporter, from Morocco to Mozambique, from Somalia to Senegal, was asked to provide a list of five names.
Adebayor, Drogba, Essien, Eto'o and Kanoute received the most votes from our panel and created our shortlist however the public would decide the rest by voting via the network's website to help us choose the winner of this prestigious award.
- Despite hardly playing in 2007, Samuel Eto'o has been chosen as the face of the 2010 World Cup and has taken a leading role in the fight against racism in football.
- Michael Essien was rewarded for his performances with a new five-year contract at Chelsea, and Ghana coach Claude Le Roy has declared Essien's talent to be "from another planet".
- Frederic Kanoute scored the vital goal which saw Mali qualify for the Nations Cup, and he helped his club side Sevilla retain the Uefa Cup.
- Togo's Emmanuel Adebayor picked up where Thierry Henry left off for English Premier League side Arsenal with seven goals for the Gunners in the first three months of the season.
- Ivorian Didier Drogba scored the winner in Chelsea's FA Cup final victory over Manchester United.
Take your time and consider the arguments, and tune in to Fast Track on the BBC World Service at 1600 GMT on Mondays and Fridays to hear more debate.
You can vote online or you can text us your choice, by sending the word "vote" followed by the player's surname to +44 77 86 20 20 25. Multiple votes will be automatically discounted.
The winner will be announced at a special ceremony in Accra, Ghana on 1 February, after the completion of the group stages of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Source: gfa
