Vancouver Whitecaps FC midfielder Christian Bolaños was announced today as a nominee for the 2016 CONCACAF Male Player of the Year, which honours the top performer from official competitions in the region encompassing of North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
- Vote for Bolaños!
- READ: Digging deeper into Bolaños first MLS season
- WATCH: Meet the man behind the headband
Bolaños, 32, was a standout for both club and country this past season.
At the club level, the Costa Rican led Whitecaps FC with eight assists and added five goals, the second highest total on the team, in his first season in Major League Soccer.
Internationally, he appeared in each of Costa Rica’s eight World Cup qualifiers, scoring a team-high four goals and helping the Ticos post an undefeated 7W-0L-1D record. That includes a goal and an assist in each of Costa Rica’s most recent victories over Trinidad & Tobago and the United States in the Hexagonal round.
Bolaños is one of 10 players nominated for the award, as selected by of technical directors from each of CONCACAF’s 41 Member Associations and the CONCACAF Technical Study Group. Fans, media, and national team coaches/captains will now vote to determine the winner.
Voting runs until January 8.
CONCACAF Male Player of the Year
Bryan Ruiz (MF/FW) | Costa Rica; Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR)
Keylor Navas (GK) | Costa Rica; Real Madrid C.F. (ESP)
Romell Quioto (MF/FW) | Honduras; Club Deportivo Olimpia (HON)
Rubens Sambueza (MF) | Club América (MEX)
Wes Morgan (DF) | Jamaica; Leicester City F.C. (ENG)
Christian Pulisic (MF) | United States; Borussia Dortmund (GER)
Clint Dempsey (FW/MF) | United States; Seattle Sounders FC (USA)
Hirving Lozano (FW/MF) | Mexico; C.F. Pachuca (MEX)
Javier “Chicharito” Hernández (FW) | Mexico; Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER)
Christian Bolaños (MF) | Costa Rica; Vancouver Whitecaps FC (CAN)
Players, coaches and referees of any nationality were eligible to be nominated for the awards, as long as they meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Have played/coached/refereed in an official CONCACAF tournament at club or national team level OR
- Have played/coached/refereed for a CONCACAF member national team in a FIFA-sanctioned international competition OR
- Have played/coached/refereed in a domestic league within CONCACAF’s territory:
A player/coach/referee from the CONCACAF region, who does not meet the above criteria (i.e. a player whose only performances in the past year came in a European or Asian league etc.), would not be eligible.
