2026 African Ballon d'Or: Three players who deserved to be among the nominees

The CAF announced the ten nominees for the 2026 African Ballon d'Or, led by defending winner Achraf Hakimi, Sadio Mané and Brahim Díaz, but the list also featured notable omissions. The article names Yan Diomandé, who scored 16 goals and provided 10 assists in 50 appearances for Leipzig and the Ivory Coast before joining Real Madrid for an estimated €125 million; he also finished fifth in the 2026 Kopa Trophy. Ibrahim Maza, the 20-year-old Algerian attacking midfielder at Bayer Leverkusen, is also described as overlooked. The third player mentioned is a Cape Verdean veteran praised for his performances at the 2026 World Cup.