TEMITAYO OJEWUNMI / AIPS* in LAGOS: Manchester City midfielder, Yaya Toure has been crowned the African Player for the fourth time.

He clinched the award for the first time in year 2011, and never stopped.

Toure, who beat Gabonese and Borussia Dortmund midfielder Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang plus Nigeria and Lille goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama to the prize received the award from Confederation of African Football president Isa Hayatou at a ceremony which held at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos Nigeria.

“It’s a privilege to have won the award yet again, respect to my fellow nominees Vincent Enyeama and ‎Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. My hard work is finally paying off,”said the Ivory Coast midfielder.

The event had 16 other categories seeing Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala win African Woman footballer of the year following her exploits at the FIFA Wowen’s World Cup, Canada 2014 and the African Women Championship, Namibia 2014 which Nigeria lifted the trophy for the seventh time, she won the Most Valuable Player at both tournaments.

Award winners 

African Player of the Year

Yaya Toure (Cote d’Ivoire and Manchester City)

African Player of the Year – Based in Africa

Firmin Mubele Ndombe (DR Congo and AS Vita)

Women’s Player of the Year

Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria and River Angels)

Youth Player of the Year

Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria and River Angels)

Most Promising Talent

Yacine Brahimi (Algeria and Porto)

Coach of the Year

Kheireddine Madoui (ES Setif)

National Team of the Year

Algeria

Women’s National Team of the Year

Nigeria

Club of the Year

ES Setif (Algeria)

Referee of the Year

Papa Bakary Gassama (Gambia)

Football Leader of the Year

Moise Katumbi Chapwe – President of TP Mazembe (DR Congo)

African Legend award

Oryx Club (Cameroon) – winners of the maiden edition of CAF Champions League 1964

Stade Malien (Mali) – runner up of the maiden edition of CAF Champion’s League 1964

Platinum Award

Kwame Nkrumah (First President of Ghana)

Excellency Goodluck Jonthan (President of Nigeria)

CAF Finest XI

Goalkeeper: Vincent Enyeama (Nigeria)

Defenders: Jean Kasulula (DR Congo), Mehdi Benatia (Morocco), Stephane Mbia (Cameroon), Kwadwo Asamoah (Ghana)

Midfielders: Yaya Toure (Cote d’Ivoire), Yacine Brahimi (Algeria), Fakhreddine Ben Youssef (Tunisia), Ahmed Musa (Nigeria)

Forwards: Asamoah Gyan (Ghana), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon)

Substitutes: Raïs M’Bolhi (Algeria), Firmin Mubele Ndombe (DR Congo), Ferdjani Sassi (Tunisia), Yao Kouasi Gervais ‘Gervinho (Cote d’Ivoire), Abdelrahman Fetori (Libya), Akram Djahnit (Algeria), Roger Assalé (Cote d’Ivoire).

** AIPS is the international sports journalists’ association with 10,000 members worldwide. More information: www.AIPSmedia.com

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