John Obi Mikel will battle Ivorian duo of Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure for the 2013 African Player of the Year crown.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF)
announced the final three on Tuesday as
Drogba and Toure made the cut for a second
successive year.
Mikel, who scored his first league goal for
Chelsea on September 21 after missing target
in 184 previous appearances, helped the West
London outfit clinch the UEFA Europa League
in May and also stood out for the Super Eagles
in their route to clinching a third African title in
South Africa last February.
Image Credit: Twitter @PetersideIdah. Drogba
Arrives Inside the Eagles Dressing Room
Following Ivory Coast’s 2-1 Loss to Nigeria in
the Quarter-Finals of Afcon 2013.
Manchester City star, Toure, who claimed the
BBC top prize for African footballers in
November, is the reigning African Footballer of
the Year while Drogba will be hoping to claim
the title for a third time.
The winner will be announced on January 9 at
the Glo-CAF Awards gala in Lagos.
Sunday Mba will be up against Egyptians
Ahmed Fathy and Mohamed Abou Trika in the
African Player of the Year (based in Africa)
category. Abou Trika is the current African
Player of the Year (based in Africa).
Nigeria’s Under-17 team, the Golden Eaglets,
have already clinched the Youth National Team
of the Year award while the Nigerian
Supporters club is rest assured of the Fair Play
Award.
Coach Stephen Keshi and Manu Garba have
been nominated along with Burkina Faso’s Paul
Put in the Coach of the Year category as the
Super Eagles, Walya Antelopes of Ethiopia and
the Stallions of Burkina Faso battles for the
National team of the Year prize.
Kelechi Iheanacho is among the three final
nominees for the Most Promising Talent of
2013. Others are Ebenezer Assifuah and Saleh
Gomaa.