... Third Time Lucky?
Michael Essien made the five-man shortlist of nominees for the 2007 African Footballer of the Year Award organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Essien, who has been in fine form for his club, is up against his Chelsea team mate Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba.

Drogba won the 2006 title by edging out Barcelonas Samuel Eto'o, with Essien, who has made the shortlist in three successive years, third.

Mali internationals Mahamadou Diarra and Frederic Kanoute, Togo star Emmanual Adebayor are the other players on the shortlist announced on Wednesday.

Three-time winner of the award Samuel Eto of Cameroon and Barcelona was not on the shortlist spending several months on the sidelines as a result of injury.

The winner of the African Footballer of the Year will be announced at the annual Confederation of African Football awards ceremony, scheduled for February 1 in Lome, Togo.
The winner is voted for in a poll of coaches of the 53 African national teams, while the five finalists were chosen by an initial vote of CAF committee members.