Amad Diallo reveals personal goal to win African Footballer of the Year
Manchester United forward Amad Diallo has revealed his personal ambition to win African Footballer of the Year, drawing comparisons with former winners Yaya Toure and Didier Drogba.
Toure currently sits at the top of the charts with four wins—level with Samuel Eto’o—while Drogba has claimed the award twice. Both players won all of their accolades while playing in the Premier League, with Toure representing Manchester City and Drogba starring for Chelsea.
Coming off the back of two successful international tournaments with Ivory Coast, Diallo has been shortlisted as one of ten players nominated for the 2026 award.
| Player | Club | Nation |
|---|---|---|
| Archraf Hakimi | Paris Saint-Germain | Morocco |
| Brahim Diaz | Real Madrid | Morocco |
| Ismael Saibari | PSV Eindhoven | Morocco |
| Sadio Mane | Al Nassr | Senegal |
| Ismaila Sarr | Crystal Palace | Senegal |
| Pape Gueye | Villarreal | Senegal |
| Amad Diallo | Manchester United | Ivory Coast |
| Antoine Semenyo | Manchester City | Ghana |
| Yoane Wissa | Newcastle United | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Teboho Mokena | Mameldoi Sundowns | South Africa |
If Diallo is successful in his pursuit of the accolade, Manchester United would become the sixth British club to have a player win it, joining Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Leicester City. If he finishes on the podium, United would become the 10th British club to have a player finish in the top three, joining Sunderland, Everton, Bolton Wanderers and Swansea City.
Amad Diallo speaks on his ambition to win African Player of the Year
In an exclusive interview with the Manchester United social team, Amad outlined his goal and ambition to win the African Footballer of the Year award.
When asked about being shortlisted, he said: "I'm so proud. Honestly, it's something that I wish to win one day in my life because I used to dream when Drogba and Yaya Toure were playing for my country and they won the African Player of the Year.
"So it is something that I dream to win one day. Today, I have the privilege to be in the list of 10 players that they have [announced]. But I mean the rest of the players are good players, they also had good seasons, so I am proud of myself.
Of course, when you want to bring also this joy to the Ivory Coast fans, to tell them Yaya Toure and Drogba won that African Footballer of the Year so the new generation can do that. The new generation can win.
"We want to give them the belief that this new generation can do more. We have good players in this new generation - [Yan] Diomande at Real Madrid and [Christ Inao] Oulai at Fiorentina.
"Many players. I hope all of these players can, one day, win the best Player of the Year of Africa."
Throughout the calendar year so far, Amad has played nine times for the Ivory Coast, contributing four goals and two assists—scoring a goal and an assist in both the African Cup of Nations and the World Cup.
Over the week, Amad and the Ivory Coast will take on The Gambia in African Cup of Nations qualifying fixtures.
The winner will be announced on 2 December.
