Former Ghana midfielder Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu has expressed confidence that Mohammed Kudus will eventually secure the African Player of the Year award.

Despite an impressive debut Premier League season, scoring 14 goals and providing six assists for West Ham, Kudus was notably absent from the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) recent ten-man shortlist for the continent’s top footballer.

Players like Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman, Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy, DR Congo’s Chancel Mbemba, and South Africa’s Ronwell Williams made the cut instead of the Black Stars forward.

Acknowledging Kudus' outstanding season with West Ham, Agyemang-Badu remains optimistic about his future prospects.

“I was hoping he would make the shortlist, but there were also many exceptional players who performed very well in Africa last year,” Agyemang-Badu told Flashscore.

“Kudus is young and has many chances to be crowned Africa’s best.

He just needs to stay focused, keep learning, and continue to grow.

His time will come—it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

No Ghanaian player has claimed the African Player of the Year award since Abedi Ayew in 1992, but Agyemang-Badu believes Kudus could soon end the long wait for Ghana.