Ghana's Michael Essien is in the running for the 2009 BBC African Footballer of the Year award after being named in the final shortlist of five.

The shortlist of five drawn by African football experts will be pruned to three from which the final shortlist will be made.

Voting will however be done by African football fans via the broadcaster’s official website.

The Chelsea midfielder could land his second gong after he first won it in 2006.

Essien became the second Ghanaian after Samuel Osei Kuffuor first claimed the BBC award in 2001.

However, Essien faces challenge from Chelsea team mate Didier Drogba of the Ivory Coast, Barcelona and Ivory Coast midfielder Yahya Toure, Samuel Eto’o of Cameroon and Inter Milan and Tresor Mputu the Congo DR international who plays TP Mazembe.