It’s been another fascinating year in African football, with Cameroon winning the Africa Cup of Nations in February, five of the continent’s national sides reaching next year’s World Cup following a thrilling qualifying campaign, and a host of star performers in major leagues across the world.
But who were the players who truly stood out over the last 12 months?

Which of the continent’s star men have excelled enough to be celebrated alongside their peers as the cream of African talent for 2017?
Who did this year really belong to?

For the last month, the Goal Africa editorial team have been deliberating which of the continent’s players deserve recognition in our Team of the Year and, ultimately, who ought to be named as the Goal Africa Player of the Year for 2017.

We’ve celebrated players based on their achievements this season, their contribution to a team’s success either at club level or internationally, their consistency and their overall level of performance.

And no stone has been left unturned!

We cast our net far and wide for our Team of the Year shortlist, with players in Africa’s domestic leagues, star performers in Caf competitions and the big names in Europe’s major leagues all consisted for our TOTY shortlist.

Over the next two weeks, we’ll be revealing our shortlists for each position in our Dream Team of the year, before we whittle it down to a top XI for 2017 and then crown the winner for our stand-out performer over the last 12 months.

Who are you tipping for inclusion in our Dream XI of 2017, and which of the continent’s superstars deserves to win our prestigious Player of the Year prize?