Newcastle United forward nominated for prestigious award alongside Man City, Man Utd & Real Madrid stars
Newcastle United forward Yoane Wissa has been nominated for a prestigious award despite a disappointing 2026 at club level.
Newcastle United striker Yoane Wissa has only scored one Premier League goal in 2026 but finds himself nominated alongside several big names for the African Player of the Year award.
Wissa is one of 10 players shortlisted for the award alongside last year’s winner, Achraf Hakimi of Paris Saint-Germain as well as Manchester City’s Antoine Semenyo, Manchester United’s Amad Diallo and Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz.
Former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane, now playing for Al-Nassr, Crystal Palace's Ismaila Sarr, Villarreal midfielder Pape Gueye, Bayern Munich's Ismael Saibari and Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Teboho Mokoena complete the list of nominees.
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Despite struggles at club level for Newcastle, Wissa played a key role in DR Congo’s historic 2026 World Cup qualification before going on to score three goals at the tournament over the summer.
It was DR Congo’s first time competing in the World Cup since 1974, with Wissa scoring his country’s first goal at the tournament in a 1-1 draw with Portugal before going on to score a brace against Uzbekistan in the group stage. DR Congo were eventually knocked out by England in the last-32.
After shining on the international stage, Wissa started the Premier League season well at Newcastle with a man-of-the-match performance on the opening day against Liverpool, followed up with a goal in a 2-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur. But that strike against Spurs remains Wissa’s only league goal this calendar year and only his second Premier League goal for Newcastle since his £55million transfer from Brentford last year.
The winner of the 2026 African Player of the Year award will be announced at the CAF Awards ceremony in Lagos, Nigeria, on December 7. The day after Newcastle host Sunderland in the Premier League.