Sadio Mane, Eric Bailly and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang lead the nominations for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) African Player of the Year award, but holder Riyad Mahrez is not in contention.
Algeria international Mahrez, the 2016 winner, failed to make the shortlist after struggling to reproduce the form that inspired Leicester to a shock 2015-16 Premier League title.
Borussia Dortmund's Gabon forward Aubameyang, who won the award the season before Mahrez, Liverpool's Senegal international Mane and Manchester United's Ivory Coast defender Bailly are among the 30 nominations.
Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El Hadary, 44, is also on a list largely dominated by players employed by European clubs.