Gabonese international and Borussia Dortmund striker, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang emerged the 2015 Glo CAF Footballer of the Year, beating Manchester City and Ivorien attacker, Yaya Toure and Ghana’s Andre Ayew to the coveted gong.
The prolific Dortmund star striker who scored 29 goals in 2015 for his club received 143 votes to beat four-time winner -Toure (who secured 136) at the 2015 Glo-CAF Awards held Thursday night at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, Nigeria.
Following the feat, the Gabonese skipper becomes the first player from the central African country to win the prize.
Although, Aubameyang is still in top form and currently lead the goal scoring in the Bundesliga with 18 goals, he took home the prize for his individual display during the outgone year, despite not winning any titles with club and country during the year under review. He could not led Gabon beyond the first round of the 2015 African Nations Cup finals in Equatorial Guinea while his club finished seventh in the Bundesliga last season.
Nigerian winners:
Two Nigerian youngsters, Victor Osihmen and Oghenekaro Etebo were rewarded by CAF for their excellent performance last year. Oghenekaro and Osimhen won the Most Promising Talent and Youth Player of the Year award respectively.
Nigeria’s U-23 team, which won the second Africa U-23 Cup of Nations in Senegal last December as well as the victorious Flying Eagles which successfully retained the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile last November were beaten to the National Team of the Year award by Cote d’Ivoire who also beat opposition from Ghana’s national team to clinch the title, while Cameroon’s Indomitable Lioness won the women’s National Team of the Year award.
Cameroon’s Gaelle Enganamouit also won the Women Player of the Year Award, beating compatriot Gabriele Onguene and Nigeria’s Ngozi Ebere.
African best Coach of the Year award was won by Herve Renard, who led Cote d’ Ivoire to its second Afcon titles in February 2015, with Nigeria’s U-17 coach, Emmanuel Amuneke placed second as well as Gambian Bakary Papa Bassars who was named the top Zebra on the continent. CAF also crowned Alioum from Cameroon as the Referee of the Year.
By Olisemeka Obeche