Yacine Brahimi is bidding to become only the second man to retain the BBC African Footballer of the Year trophy, after Nigeria's Jay-Jay Okocha won in 2003 and 2004.
The Algerian has continued his improvement since joining FC Porto from Spain's Granada in July 2014.
"I'm gaining more experience playing against big teams," the 25-year-old told BBC Sport. "This means you learn a lot, and I work very hard every single day to get better."
He must certainly be putting the hours in.
Brahimi impressed during the 2014-15 Champions League campaign, where he completed 42 dribbles prior to the semi-finals.
To put that into context, the figure was only beaten by Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Chelsea's Eden Hazard - with 71 and 51 respectively.
Brahimi's five goals also helped Porto reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in six years.
Kumpigia kura Yacine Brahimi gonga hii link BBC Sport - Yacine Brahimi: African footballer of the year profile
BBC Sport - Yacine Brahimi: African footballer of the year profile
The Algerian has continued his improvement since joining FC Porto from Spain's Granada in July 2014.
"I'm gaining more experience playing against big teams," the 25-year-old told BBC Sport. "This means you learn a lot, and I work very hard every single day to get better."
He must certainly be putting the hours in.
Brahimi impressed during the 2014-15 Champions League campaign, where he completed 42 dribbles prior to the semi-finals.
To put that into context, the figure was only beaten by Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Chelsea's Eden Hazard - with 71 and 51 respectively.
Brahimi's five goals also helped Porto reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in six years.
Kumpigia kura Yacine Brahimi gonga hii link BBC Sport - Yacine Brahimi: African footballer of the year profile
BBC Sport - Yacine Brahimi: African footballer of the year profile