Samuel Kuffour is 2001 king

by BBC Sport Online's Mark Gleeson

November 25 is the deadline day for the voting panel who will decide who is this year's African Footballer of the Year. It is a job reserved for the members of both the Technical and Press Committees of Caf. And as a member of the latter I have the dubious honour of having a say in the outcome.

Dubious, I say, because it is normally a very difficult choice to make.

It is also an important responsibility to make sure the right candidate wins.

This is a major award, one that lives with the victor for life, and is perhaps not treated by some of the panellists with the respect it deserves.

I have pondered the choice for some time now, and despite the continental club competitions not yet being decided, I have made my choice.

Here is how I'll be voting and why:

1. Samuel Osei Kuffour (Ghana):
Not even the most biased voter can argue that Europe's Champions League is the world's toughest club competition, and it is not often we have an African winner. Just 25-years-old, he has emerged as a world-class defender, helping Bayern Munich to win the Champions League this May. Bayern also won the German Bundesliga in dramatic style on the last day of the season. Added to that has been his commitment to the Ghana national team. He was prepared to defy his German club to play for the Black Stars, though he hasn't always seen eye-to-eye with Ghanaian officials.

2. El Hadj Diouf (Senegal):
At club level the Senegalese striker is just beginning to find his feet at Lens. But it was his goals that proved the catalyst for Senegal's surprise qualification for the World Cup. The Lions rocked the African soccer scene with their elevation to the top of their qualifying group and Diouf did more than any other player to get them there.

3. Ibrahima Bakayoko (Cote d'Ivoire):
The Marseille striker scored 10 goals in 10 games for his country from January to July including a goal in five successive games. That has to be some kind of record and an indication of the quality at international level of the French-based striker, whose commitment to his country also has to be commended. The Ivorians came close to a first-ever World Cup place but were just shaded in the end by Tunisia in an absorbing qualifying battle in group D.

4. Sibusiso Zuma (South Africa): The flying winger had to be the most exciting player to emerge on the African scene this year. He showed great improvement in every game he played for South Africa. In Denmark he was their player of the season and helped FC Copenhagen to win the league title. He then scored several goals in the early rounds of the UEFA Champions League and in the UEFA Cup, where the Danes are into the third round.

5. Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon):
Playing for Real Mallorca, he helped his side secure a UEFA Champions League place with vital goals. He is another who improves all the time and was the most valuable member of the Cameroon side that romped through to the World Cup finals.

Now, we wait to see whether the other panellists agree!