Olunga nominated alongside Ronaldo, Benzema, Mahrez in star-studded Middle East Player of the Year Award

Michael Olunga will go up against seven other players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Riyad Mahrez, and Karim Benzema, for the inaugural Middle East Player of the Year award.

Michael Olunga, the captain of the Harambee Stars, is competing against football legend Cristiano Ronaldo for the first-ever Middle East Player of the Year award.

On January 19, at the five-star Atlantis, The Palm, the awarding will take place in conjunction with the 18th Dubai International Sports Conference, organised in association with Dubai Sports Council.

For Al Duhail this season, Olunga has been in outstanding form, helping the team win three titles and the Qatari Stars league golden boot.

You can vote here.

The top players worldwide will get awards in 16 distinct categories.

Thirty players are vying for the title of Best Men's Player, including Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid, Mohamed Salah of Liverpool, and 10 members of Manchester City's UEFA Champions League-winning team.

A wide range of football legends from the past and present will be present at the 14th edition of the star-studded awards, one of the world's premier celebrations of international football brilliance, and the well-liked Dubai International Sports Conference.

Although the greatest names in Europe dominate the 30-player longlist for the best male player, Ronaldo and Lionel Messi of Inter Miami are also on the list.

Aitana Bonmati of Spain, Sam Kerr of Chelsea, and German legend Alexandra Popp are among the twenty nominees in the Best Women's Player category. In the Best Women's Club category, Champions League champions Barcelona and six-time Women's Super League winners Chelsea are included. In the Best Men's Club category, Fluminense, Al Ahly, Al Ittihad, and Napoli are among the teams nominated alongside Manchester City.

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Along with Marcel Koller, the Swiss coach who guided Al Ahly to a five-trophy clean sweep in just ten months, and Real Madrid's Carlo Ancelotti, the most decorated coach in UEFA Champions League history after winning the trophy a record four times, Pep Guardiola, the manager of City, leads the nominations for Best Coach.

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