By Oluwadamilola Olaleye
Fulham have announced the final shortlist for their Player of the Season award, with Nigerian duo Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey both making the five-man cut following the first round of voting.
Iwobi enjoyed one of the best campaigns of his career last season, scoring nine goals and providing six assists in 38 Premier League appearances. Under manager Marco Silva, Fulham finished 11th in the league.
Bassey, the team’s defensive stalwart, featured in 35 matches, scoring once and helping the team secure 15 wins and five clean sheets.
He recorded 54 tackles with a 63% success rate, along with 113 clearances and five blocked shots, showcasing his all-around defensive prowess.
The winner will be decided by the player who receives the highest number of votes, with Iwobi regarded as a strong favorite to claim his first Player of the Season accolade.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
