The Confederation of African Football have unveiled Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as the three finalists for this year's African Player of the Year award, with the winner set to be announced at a ceremony in Accra on 4th January 2018
Recently crowned BBC Africa Footballer of the Year Salah is arguably the favourite for the award after playing a critical role at both the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations - as Egypt reached the final - and in ensuring the Pharaohs qualified for their first World Cup since 1990.
The former Chelsea man also enjoyed a productive season at AS Roma before securing a summer move to Liverpool where, at the time of writing, he is the Premier League's top scorer after netting 14 goals in 18 league outings.
Aubameyang will surely be hopeful of winning his second POTY award - and his first since 2015 - after winning the Bundesliga top scorer award, albeit during a difficult season for Borussia Dortmund. The Gabon frontman scored 31 goals in 32 top flight fixtures last term, and already has 13 in 15 this term.
Mane can be considered the outsider for the award, with the reigning Liverpool Player of the Season struggling with injury and suspension amidst spells of excellence during his first 18 months at Anfield.
Bertrand Traore, Denis Onyango, Karim El Ahmadi, Keita Balde, Vincent Aboubakar and Yacine Brahimi were some of the players cut from the 11-man shortlist.
Naby Keita and Victor Moses, two of the final five finalists for the BBC APOTY award, also missed out on the three-man shortlist of finalists despite superb campaigns for RasenBallsport Leipzig and Chelsea respectively.
Elsewhere, Nigeria is well represented across the categories, with reigning CAF African Women's Player of the Year Asisat Oshoala again in line to retain her crown, and Gernot Rohr among the three Coach of the Year finalists.
The Franco-German head coach has overseen a significant improvement with the Super Eagles after taking over following the tumultuous reign of Sunday Oliseh, but he faces stiff competition from Wydad Casablanca boss Hussein Amoutta and Egypt head coach Hector Cuper, who ended the Pharaohs' 28-year wait for World Cup qualification.
Oshoala must fend off Cameroon's Gabrielle Onguene and Chrestina Kgatlana of South Africa if she's to clinch her third Women's Player of the Year award.
Rohr's strong work with the Super Eagles sees them nominated for the National Team of the Year award, although they ought to be considered outsiders for the prize, with Africa Cup of Nations winners Cameroon and defeated finalists Egypt also in contention.
Recently crowned African champions Wydad Casablanca are favourites for the Club of the Year award after being shortlisted with Confederation Cup winners Tout Puissant Mazembe and defeated CAF CL finalists Al Ahly.