Two candidates from Ghana gain nomination for the FIFA Player of the Year Award in both male and female categories.

Black Stars midfielder, Michael Essien gets a second successive nomination for the FIFA Player of the Year Award after been named on the 30-man short list.

The Chelsea player, who was nominated for last year’s award joins Blues teammate, Didier Drogba of the Ivory Coast and Cameroon’s Samuel Eto'o Fils who plays for Barcelona to increase Africa’s voting presence as all three African players have again been nominated soccer governing body, FIFA.

Last year's winner Fabio Cannavaro is on the list nominated by FIFA experts, from which the coach and captain of every men's national team under the FIFA umbrella will select three top performers.

In the women’s category, Black Queens captain, Adjoa Bayor is picked alongside some 24 other female players across the globe.

Two other Africa female players also make up the list in Christie George and Perpetua Nkwocha both from Nigeria. Bayor, a former African Player of the Year led Ghana’s Black Queens to the recent World Cup hosted by China.

Captains and head coaches of the men's and women's national teams will cast their vote at the beginning of December for the best player on the continent in both categories.

FIFA will later announce the names of the three men and women who receive the highest votes from their peers and coaches with the winners revealed at the 17th FIFA World Player Gala at the Zurich Opera House on 17 December.