Black Stars midfielder, Michael Essien, is among five new players who has joined the contest for FIFA’s World Player of the Year award.

Essien together with Chelsea teammate, Didier Drogba and Nigeria’s Jay Jay Okocha are the only African players to make it into the thirty-man hunt for the award.

Essien is one of the new faces that would be seeking to succeed Brazilian, Ronaldinho, who is also in the reckoning for another feat.

The only African to have won the FIFA World player of the Year award is Liberian presidential aspirant, George Oppon-Weah.

The celebrated Liberian player won a historic treble picking the world, European and African awards in 1995.

Brazil has a huge representation of seven players gunning for the award, England has four and Italy three.

No country has more than two candidates.

In a related development, twenty-four women are in contention for the female category.

FIFA would be announcing the winner on December 19 at the Zurich Opera House.