Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey has been shortlisted for the 2018 BBC African Footballer of the Year following his swashbuckling performance for Spanish side Atletico Madrid.

Partey has been nominated alongside Medhi Benatia (Morocco), Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal), Sadio Mane (Senegal), and Mohamed Salah (Egypt).

The 25-year-old established himself as a key figure for the Rojiblancos last term, making a late appearance as a substitute in the Europa League final win over Marseille.

The former Tema Youth star has also been the driving force behind the Black Stars, scoring in international friendlies for Ghana against Japan and Iceland.

Liverpool forward Salah clinched last year's award, with previous winners including Jay-Jay Okocha, Michael Essien, Didier Drogba, Yaya Toure and Riyad Mahrez.

The vote opened on Saturday, 17 November at 19:00 GMT and closes on Sunday, 2 December at 20:00.

The result will be revealed in a programme on BBC World News on Friday, 14 December at 17:30.