Aubameyang ends Yaya Toure’s reign as African Footballer of the Year

By
Toby Prince
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Gabon captain, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, has been named the 2015 Glo-CAF African Footballer of the Year – beating Ivorian, Yaya Toure.

The event which was held in Abuja on Thursday evening was hosted by South African presenter, Robert Marawa, alongside Ghanaian movie goddess, Juliet Ibrahim.

Grammy Awards nominee, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, opened the show with their wonderful genre of Acapella music and was later joined on stage by Nigerian act, Ego – together they performed the theme song of the famous animation movie Lion King.

Toure, 32, was in line to win a record fifth consecutive African award after guiding the Elephants to their first African Cup Nations title in 23 years in January and also excelling with Barclays Premier League side, Manchester City.

But it was the 26-year-old who was runner-up in the last two editions that was crowned the new king of African football.

Aubameyang has been in blistering form with German giants, Borussia Dortmund, scoring 23 goals in the 2014/15 season and a further 24 in the first half of this season alone.

His goals and assists earned him the top scorer and assist awards in Germany as well as being named in the Bundesliga Team of the Year.

He becomes the first Gabonese player in history to win this accolade.

Gabon president, Ali Bongo Ondimba, paid tribute to the player who will be key to the country’s hopes of lifting the African Cup of Nations on home soil in 2017.

“The epitome of commitment and success at the highest level, this exceptional Gabonese demonstrated dazzling intuition and an attack of unparalleled velocity,” said the Gabon president in a statement.

“His genius is a major asset for the Panthers in preparation for the next African Cup of Nations.

Ghana and Swansea City midfielder, Andre Ayew, finished third behind the more fancied pair.

In other categories, Nigerian duo, Victor Osimhen and Oghenekaro Etebo won the Youth Player of the Year and Most Promising Talent awards respectively.

Osimhen scored a record 10 goals to help the Golden Eaglets win the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup with Etebo finding the net five times as the Dream Team VI won the CAF U-23 AFCON as well as book an Olympic ticket.

U-17 World Cup winning coach, Emmanuel Amunike, lost to Frenchman, Herve Rernard, in the Coach of the Year category.

Rernard, guided Cote d’Ivoire to an AFCON triumph after winning same title in 2012 with Zambia – the Elephants were named Team of the Year.

The audience witnessed entertaining performances from the likes of D’banj, Omawumi, Bez, Morrocan, Ahmed Soultan, Korede Bello, Awilo Longomba and the likes.

WINNERS IN FULL

African Player of the Year – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon)

African Player of the Year – Based in Africa – Mbwana Aly SAMATTA

Women’s Player of the Year – Gaelle Enganamouit (Cameroon)

Youth Player of the Year – Victor Osimhen (Nigeria)

Most Promising Talent of the Year – Etebo Peter Oghenekaro (Nigeria)

Coach of the Year – Herve Renard (France) – Former Coach of Cote d’Ivoire

Referee of the Year – Bakary Papa Gassama (Gambia)

National Team of the Year – Cote d’Ivoire

Women’s National Team of the Year – Cameroon

Club of the Year – TP Mazembe (DR Congo)

African Legend Award – Charles Kumi GYAMFI (Ghana) and Samuel MBAPPE LEPPE (Cameroon)

Platinum Award: Muhammadu Buhari (President, Federal Republic of Nigeria)

AFRICA’S FINEST XI

Goalkeeper: Robert Muteba KIDIABA (DR Congo)

Defenders: Serge AURIER (Cote d’Ivoire), Aymen ABDENNOUR (Tunisia), Mohamed MEFTAH (Algeria)

Midfielders: Andre AYEW (Ghana), Yaya TOURE (Cote d’Ivoire), Sadio MANE (Senegal), Yacine BRAHIMI (Algeria),

Forwards: Mbwana Aly SAMATTA (Tanzania), Pierre-Emerick AUBAMEYANG (Gabon), Baghdad BOUNEDJAH (Algeria)

Substitutes: Djigui DIARRA (Mali), Azubuike OKECHUKWU (Nigeria), Kelechi NWAKALI (Nigeria), Zinedine FERHAT (Algeria), Adama TRAORE (Mali), Victor OSIMHEN (Nigeria)

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