Former Ghana midfielder Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu has backed Mohammed Kudus to win the African Player of the Year award in future after the West Ham star's surprising omission from CAF's 10-man shortlist for this year.Kudus' impressive debut Premier League season, yielding 14 goals and six assists, wasn't enough to secure a spot alongside contenders like Ademola Lookman, Achraf Hakimi, and Chancel Mbemba.Despite disappointment over Kudus' omission, Badu acknowledged the deserving nominees' exceptional performances."I was hoping he would make the shortlist, but there were also many outstanding players who performed exceptionally well in Africa last year," Agyemang-Badu told Flashscore.com.Ghana has endured a 32-year drought in the CAF awards since Abedi Ayew last won the award in 1992 but Agyemang-Badu believes Kudus can break this curse."Kudus is still young and has plenty of opportunities 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."After Abedi's success in 1992, Ghanaian players such as Michael Essien, Asamoah Gyan, and Andre Ayew have come closest to winning the award for Ghana but none were able to achieve such height.Essien was shortlisted for the top three from 2005-2009, Gyan narrowly lost to Eto'o in 2011, and Dede Ayew finished third in 2015 losing it to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.