Ghana?s Michael Essien has been named in a shortlist of five for the 2006 African Footballer of the Year award by the Confederation of African Football.

CAF announced on it?s website that Essien will vie for award with three-time winner, Samuel Eto?o Fils, two- time winner Nwanko Kanu of Nigeria, Didier Drogba of the Ivory Coast and the Egyptian Aboutrika who was phenomenal in El-Ahly?s run to becoming African champions league winners for a fifth time earlier this month.

Members of Caf?s media and technical committee will vote for the winner of the prestigious award before the winner is unveiled early next year at a special ceremony.

Though Essien was the biggest name player to have missed the 2006 Nations Cup, he returned for Ghana to great effect at the 2006 world inspiring the team to a second round finish in Germany.

At Chelsea, he has been equally impressive appearing in every minute of the games that the English champions have played so far this season to justify his status as Africa?s most expensive player.

Another Chelsea player in the shortlist is Didier Drogba.

The Chelsea striker is the leading goal scorer in the English premiership and has scored some cracking goals this season including two swivel and turn long range efforts against Liverpool and Barcelona.

He was also in outstanding form for the Ivory Coast at the 2006 Nations cup captaining them to second place behind Egypt and scoring three goals in the process.

Both Essien and Drogba will be seeking to win the award for a first time but Eto?o and Kanu will be seeking to add on to their previous titles.

Cameroon?s absence from the 2006 world cup is likely to work against Eto?o as will the fact that he has been largely absent from action for the second half of this season after injuring himself in the early stages of the Spanish season.

But Eto?o?s supporters will point to his blistering form at the 2006 Nations Cup when he was top scorer with five goals despite Cameroon exiting the competition at the quarter final stage, his role in Barcelona?s Champions league win when he scored the winner against Arsenal in the final and his emergence as Spanish league?s top scorer with 25 goals as compelling reasons why the Cameroonian must be crowned Africa?s best again.

Kanu earned that accolade in 1996 when he led Nigeria to Olympic gold and in 1999.

His claim to the title this year will rest heavily on a fine early season in England where his eight goals so far has shot him to the top of the goalking?s chart alongside Drogba and made Portsmouth the surprise early package in the premiership.

The only player based on the African continent in the race is Egypt?s Abutreka whose form in helping El-Ahly win the African champions league title was phenomenal.

His last minute goal stunned Sfaxien and his role in Egypt?s historic 5th Nations Cup win on home soil in January was telling.

Yet that is unlikely to earn him the award with Drogba the early favourite while Essien and Eto?o chase him up for the most prestigious individual honour in African football.