Gabon skipper and Borussia Dortmund star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Thursday upstaged favourite Yaya Toure to win a first CAF African Player of the Year Award for 2015.
In a vote conducted by coaches or technical directors of CAF member-nations, Aubameyang tallied 143 points ahead of Yaya Toure, who scored 136 points. Andre Ayew recorded 112 points to place third.
It was a sweet revenge for Aubameyang after he lost the 2014 prize to Yaya, who has previously scooped the prestigious individual accolade in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.
His accolade comes despite a year without trophy success. He was captain of the Gabon team eliminated in the first round of the African Nations Cup finals in Equatorial Guinea at the start of 2015 and his club finished seventh in the Bundesliga last season.
However the 26-year-old Gabon skipper has been in outstanding form for German Bundesliga club Dortmund this season, scoring 18 goals in 17 appearances as Dortmund again chase Bayern Munich for the championship.
Aubameyang's father was captain of Gabon and played professionally in France. His mother is Spanish, he was born in France but raised in Italy.
The African Footballer of the Year is decided by a vote of coaches or technical directors of all Africa's national teams.
Toure had won the award for an unprecedented four years in succession from 2011-2015 and was the favourite for a fifth after captaining Ivory Coast to the African Nations Cup title.
Ghana international Andre Ayew, who left Olympique Marseille in France for Swansea City in mid-year, was third with 112 votes. His father Abedi Pele won the award three times from 1991 to 1993.
Frenchman Herve Renard, who led Cote d'Ivoire to the 2015 Africa Cup, was named Coach of the Year.
This was his second such award after the 47-year-old coach also led Zambia to upset favourites Cote d'Ivoire to lift a first-ever Nations Cup trophy and bag the individual prize in 2012.
Cote d'Ivoire were also picked as Team of the Year ahead of the likes of Nigeria U17 team, who won a record fifth World Cup in Chile in November, and Nigeria U23, who triumphed at the U23 Championship in Senegal, which also doubled as a qualifier for this year’s Rio Olympics.
See the full list of winners below.
- Club of the Year – TP Mazembe
- Fair Play Award – Allez Casa (Senegal Supporters group)
- Women’s National Team Of The Year – Cameroon
- Men’s National Team Of The Year -Cote D’Ivoire
- Youth Player Of The Year- Victor Osimhen
- Most Promising Talent -Oghenekaro Etebo
- Coach of The Year – Havre Renard
- Women’s National Team Of The Year – Cameroon
- Woman player of the year – Gabrielle Enganamouit
- Referee Of The Year – Ameshinda Bakari Wa Gambia Papa Gassama
- African Player Of The Year based in Africa-Mbwana Samatta
- Football Leader Of The Year – Abdiqani Said Arab Of Somalia
- African Player Of The Year -Pierre Emerick Aubameyang
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