A star-studded event will be capped by the crowning of a new Player of the Year 2011 as Accra, the Ghanaian capital for the third-time hosts the Glo-CAF Awards tonight.
Sports personalities including a host of current and former legends of the beautiful game from the continent will gather at the Banquet Hall, State House to honour nominees for the year under review.
The Gala's main protagonists: the three nominees for the African Player of the Year 2011 award would be waiting patiently to hear who gets mentioned for the the coveted gong.
Ghana's Andre Ayew together with Seydou Keita of Mali and Yaya Toure of Ivory Coast are in the running of be crowned for the first time as the trio's achievement will be recounted tonight.
History could be created in Accra tonight if the Ghana midfielder tops the poll.
It would complete the first father-and-son successes in the annual vote among Africa-based national coaches and technical directors as Abedi 'Pele' Ayew triumphed from 1991 for three consecutive years.
Ayew, won the BBC award last Friday, but that is no guarantee that he will be called to the State House banquet hall stage as winner of the top Confederation of African Football individual award.
Only three of 11 BBC African Footballer of the Year award winners—Patrick Mboma of Cameroon, El Hadji Diouf of Senegal and Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast—have completed a same-year 'double' and lifted the CAF trophy.
Profile of shortlists for AFRICAN PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2011
(a) André Ayew (Olympique Marseille and Ghana)
Date of birth: 17th December 1989
Club: Olympique Marseille (France)
He returned to Olympique Marseille during 2010-2011 season after winning the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2009. Ayew had previously had loan stint Arles-Avignon, which he helped to qualify to the French Ligue 1 Championship. He also helped his team Marseille to a second place finish in French championship, won the League Cup and the Super Cup. He was voted the club’s best player of the season by the fans. He scored his first brace in the European Champions League on September 28, 2011 against Borussia Dortmund and was also pivotal as Ghana reached the finals of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.
(b) Seydou Keita (Barcelona and Mali)
Date of birth: 16th January 1980
Club: FC Barcelona (Spain)
In 2011, Keita won his second European title with Barcelona having been at the club since the 2008-2009 season. He also won his third consecutive Spanish league title. He also won the European Super Cup and a runners-up medal in the Spanish Cup. He rejoined the Mali national team during the latter stages of the qualifying series of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations after a brief exile, and played an integral in the last game which ensured the team’s qualification.
(c) Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Cote d’Ivoire)
Date of birth: 13th May 1983
Club: Manchester City (England)
After leaving FC Barcelona, Yaya Toure has become one of the most valuable players at English club, Manchester City and reportedly among the highest earners in Premier League. His impeccable ball control, recovery and his intelligent reading of the game enabled him contribute in his team’s success in the FA Cup. He scored the only goal at the semi-final against Manchester United and repeated the dose in the final against Stoke City. He was also one of the key players in Cote d’Ivoire’s successful campaign in the qualifying rounds for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations with some goals to his credit.