Why Guirassy deserves to win African Player of the Year

Guirassy will be competing against Simon Adingra (Ivory Coast / Brighton & Hove Albion), Achraf Hakimi (Morocco / Paris Saint-Germain), Ademola Lookman (Nigeria / Atalanta) and Ronwen Williams (South Africa / Mamelodi Sundowns). With his rivals made up of two wingers, a full-back and a goalkeeper, no one comes close to Guirassy’s goal-scoring numbers.

Always seen as a potent threat who was yet to settle, the 28-year-old did exactly that last season at VfB Stuttgart, smashing Mario Gómez’s 19-year club record for most goals in a single Bundesliga campaign. More impressive than that was the fact his 28 efforts put him second in Europe’s top five leagues, ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, and behind only Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane.

Watch: All of Serhou Guirassy's Bundesliga goals so far

Leading the line for Stuttgart, Guirassy took them to second in the table, ahead of Bayern, and back into the UEFA Champions League for the first time in 14 years. Their 73 points were also the most in club history. 

The former Cologne, Rennes and Lille forward chipped in more than anyone to reach that total with numerous match-winning goals, and he even struck against Dortmund in three games to redress the balance at the top of German football and surpass the previous season’s runners-up.

That was enough to convince BVB to sign him, and it took no time at all for Guirassy to wipe out any fears that he could be a one-season wonder. Having missed Dortmund’s first three games of the season through injury, he’s been on fire ever since breaking his duck in his second game against Club Brugge in the Champions League.

Watch: Serhou Guirassy - Delivering for Dortmund

Speaking post-match, head coach Nuri Şahin was thrilled with what he was watching, commenting: "He gives our game a completely different component. He is a classic number nine who can drop back again and again and create space for his teammates. And you don't see very often that a number nine lets the ball through to his teammates twice."

So far in 2024/25, the marksman has nine goals and three assists in 13 games in black and yellow, including the winner against St. Pauli and another at home to RB Leipzig on Matchday 9. However, as Şahin pointed out, it’s not just about the goals. That Leipzig performance was such an all-round display that club legend and ambassador Roman Weidenfeller gave some extraordinary praise afterwards.

Speaking on Doppelpass on SPORT1, the former goalkeeper said: "He was world class. In my opinion, he is Borussia Dortmund's absolute best transfer after Haaland, Jude Bellingham and Robert Lewandowski. What the boy is doing is unbelievable."

Bayern Munich legend Stefan Effenberg agreed, adding: "Just before the end, to run all the way back over 60 metres, to accept the challenge. This willingness to not say, 'this is my job'. A striker doesn't normally do that. He stays with it and stays with it and works it so that they win the ball back."

Watch: Borussia Dortmund 2-1 RB Leipzig - highlights

Now widely considered one of the best strikers in the world, Guirassy’s Dortmund form hasn’t only helped with his reputation, but also his African Player of the Year chances as the prize is based on the period of January 2024 to October 2024.

Away from club football, the France-born striker helped Guinea reach the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals, albeit without scoring. Back in action for 2025 qualifying, he hit a whopping six goals in five games, including a 29-minute hat-trick against Ethiopia - though it wasn’t enough for progression to the finals.

Nevertheless, with a record of 26 goals and five assists in 37 games for club and country over the 2024 voting period, none of Guirassy’s fellow nominess have made such a strong case to lift the African Player of the Year award on 16 December in Marrakech, Morocco.