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| Can Yaya Toure make it three successive victories and also add the 2013 CAF Award to the BBC Award? |
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has released the shortlists for the 2013 African Player of the Year and the African Player of the Year (Based in Africa) after voting from members of the Technical & Development and the Media Committees.
Ten (10) players made the cut for the flagship African Player of the Year category, and five (5) for the African Player of the Year (Based in Africa) from the initial list of nominees.
The Head Coaches of the National Associations affiliated to CAF will vote in their order of preference to decide on the eventual winners of the two categories that will be announced at the Glo-CAF Awards Gala scheduled for Thursday, January 9, 2014 in Lagos, Nigeria.
Initially, twenty-five (25) players were named for African Player of the Year category, and twenty-one (21) for the African Player of the Year (Based in Africa).
Ivorian Yaya Toure is the reigning African Player of the Year with Mohamed Aboutrika of Egypt still holding the accolade as the African Player of the Year (Based in Africa) but the multi-million dollar question on the lips of African football pundits is whether somebody or for that matter, a Nigerian, can unseat Man City's Yaya Toure in the flagship award?
Among the 10 finalists for the flagship African player of the year award are four Nigerians - John Obi Mikel, Vincent Enyeama, Emmanuel Emenike and Ahmed Musa - who played key roles to help Super Eagles conquer African in the 2013 Cup of Nations as well as clinching a ticket to the 2014 FIFA World Cup due to be held in Brazil next summer.
There is no doubt Yaya Toure is the front runner for this award as the winner of the last two editions is still at his peak. He scored two goals including a spectacular free-kick against Tunisia at the group stage. Though the Elephants failed to go past the quarters, he has served as the pillar of the Ivorian team in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, netting four goals in the process. At Manchester City, he is a cult figure and has been the driving force for the club. For the current 2013-14 season, the midfielder has found the back of the net five times in 11 games.
CAF couldn't have said it better than this but in my opinion, apart from Black Stars captain Asamoah Gyan (due to my little bias as a Ghanaian) and Burkinabe star Jonathan Pitroipa (Most Valuable Player of the 2013 Cup of Nations), other notable players who could give the Ivorien and Man City midfield dynamo a run for his money are Nigerian duo John Obi Mikel and Vincent Enyeama. Of course, the other Nigerians shortlisted - Emmanuel Emenike and Ahmed Musah - are ranked outsiders.
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| Nigeria's John Obi Mikel with the African soccer ultimate trophy |
CAF says Mikel is enjoying probably his best moment in football. A regular with the star-studded Chelsea, he played an influential role in the buildup to the 2013 UEFA Europa League crown. In September 21 this year, he broke his goal duck in the English Premier League with his first goal in 185 matches in a 2-0 win over Fulham. Also, he netted a cracker against Uruguay at the FIFA Confederation Cup in Brazil in July besides claiming a gold medal with the Super Eagles at the Africa Cup of Nations. He was also instrumental for Nigeria in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The African football governing body also believe the achievement of Nigeria cannot be mentioned without the name of goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama. The shot-stopper is arguably the finest on the continent after superb showings at the Africa Cup of Nations, FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil and the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. He was named the safest pair of hands as Nigeria won the continental crown in South Africa earlier in the year. He also made a name for himself with Lille in the French “Ligue 1” having not conceded since September 15; with an eye-popping 14 clean sheets from 16 games and 1035 minutes in total.
This writer believes Mikel or goalkeeper Enyeama could cause a major upset in January 9, 2014 in Lagos, Nigeria.
The two have distinguished themselves very well for club and country. For instance, many pundits underrated Mikel's contributions for Chelsea but he was, no doubt, one of the consistent performers for Chelsea that saw them win the Europa Cup.
Mikel is also the fulcrum of the Super Eagles. In fact, the Nigerian national team is built around Mikel and he deserves more commendations for wining the Europa Cup with Chelsea as well as the Cup of Nations trophy with Nigeria in the year under review.
Beyond being an established organiser on the pitch, goalie Enyeama who captained the Super Eagles many times this year has also remained the number one shot stopper for Lille and has embarked on a remarkable run of form and currently stands on the verge of breaking a French defensive record that has stood for eleven years.
Enyeama, apart from winning the African Cup with Nigeria, earned critical raves from fans and experts for his performances. Many pundits say he specializes in reflex saves, being one of the world's shot-stopping. He might not be compared to legend Thomas Nkono who was elected best player on the continent in 1979 and 19 82 but Enyeama can be counted among the serious contenders for the award.
Both Enyeama and Mikel did much better in the 2013 Cup of Nations and the World Cup qualifiers than Yaya Toure, hence my belief that a Nigerian may unseat Yaya Toure.
Even on the club level, albeit debatable, Yaya Toure was not miles ahead of Mikel and Enyeama. At least, in the case of Mikel, he played a pivotal role in the Chelsea setup that won the Europa Cup.
Enyeama and Mikel helped their colleagues to conquer Africa after a 19-year wait while Toure and his galaxy of Ivorian stars got bundled out of the African Cup in the quarter final stage.
Even though a decision by CAF to award Senegalese international El Hadji Diouf the 2001 African player of the year ahead of Ghana's Samuel Osei Kuffour was one of the most unpleasant surprises in the history of the awards, I for see another surprise, but this one will be a pleasant one when a Nigerian will be named as the 2013 African best player.
I believe the period that will always put the European leagues ahead of our own Cup of Nations and our own World Cup qualifiers is past and gone so if we want to honour a true African best player, then we must look deep into who did extremely well for his national team in the Cup of Nations and World Cup qualifier before we look at club performances. In other words, let's put our continental competitions ahead of European leagues, at least, just for this year, so that we can juxtapose the contributions of the shortlisted players in the Cup of Nations and the World Cup qualifiers.
For the purpose of argument, we can narrow the list to just Toure and Mikel and debate dispassionately about who really contributed immensely to his national team and even his club in the year 2013.
The fact that Mikel was a cynosure for his countrymen and Africans in the Cup of Nations as well as the World Cup qualifiers coupled with the fact that he was instrumental for Chelsea in 2013 are enough justification why Obi Mikel must win the award ahead of Toure.
Toure is, no doubt, a true genius in the colours of Man City; he sometimes also carry the Elephants of Ivory Coast on his shoulders but the only thing the Ivorien can boast of is the fact that he played a key role in Ivory Coast's qualification to the World Cup. And that is it!
But in 2013, Mikel can boast of the fact that he did not only lead the Super Eagles to Nations Cup glory but also made an impression in the Confederation Cup in Brazil, helped qualified Nigeria to the World Cup and also helped Chelsea to win the UEFA Europa Cup.
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| Vincent Enyeama was named the safest pair of hands as Nigeria won the continental crown in South Africa earlier in the year! |
Below are the nominees (in alphabetical order):
Top 10
African Players of the Year
Name: Ahmed Musa
Club: CSKA Moscow (Russia)
Date of Birth: October 14, 1992
Country: Nigeria
He was a member of the Nigeria squad that won the 2013 Orange Africa Cup of Nations and also featured at the FIFA Confederations Cup later in Brazil. With CSKA Moscow, Musa won every title in Russia - League, League Cup and the Super Cup during the 2012/2013 season, scoring five times in the process. He has scored five times for his club in the ongoing 2013/2014 season.
Name: Asamoah Gyan
Date of Birth: November 22, 1985
Country: Ghana
Club: Al Ain (United Arab Emirates)
As captain of the Black Stars, he was the top marksman for the team in the World Cup qualifiers with six goals. He also scored once as the Stars placed fourth at the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa. Gyan has had a stellar year emerging top scorer for the 2012-13 UAE Pro-League firing 30 goals and powering Al Ain to the title. He has also scored eight times in six appearances in the 2013-14 season.
Name: Didier Drogba
Date of Birth: March 11, 1978
Country: Cote d’Ivoire
Club: Galatasaray (Turkey)
At 35, Drogba has yet to lose his shine, scoring three goals as the Elephants reached a third successive World Cup appearance. The striker has bounced back from a disappointing spell in China and has been banging the goals in Turkey. He scored five in 13 appearances during Galatasaray’s triumph in the 2012-13 season. In the current season, Drogba has scored nine times in all competitions for Galatasaray including the UEFA Champions League.
Name: Emmanuel Emenike
Date of Birth: May 10, 1987
Country: Nigeria
Club: Fenerbahce (Turkey)
Emenike is currently Nigeria’s most reliable face in attack. He was topscorer (4 goals) at the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa where the Super Eagles emerged champions. He has recovered from an injury that kept him out of the FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil to put Nigeria within sight of a place at next year’s World Cup, scoring thrice in the process. With Fenerbahce, he has scored three times in the 2013-14 “Turkish Super Lig”.
Name: John Obi Mikel
Date of Birth: April 22, 1987
Country: Nigeria
Club: Chelsea (England)
Mikel is enjoying probably his best moment in football. A regular with the star-studded Chelsea, he played an influential role in the buildup to the 2013 UEFA Europa League crown. In September 21 this year, he broke his goal duck in the English Premier League with his first goal in 185 matches in a 2-0 win over Fulham. Also, he netted a cracker against Uruguay at the FIFA Confederation Cup in Brazil in July besides claiming a gold medal with the Super Eagles at the Africa Cup of Nations. He was also instrumental for Nigeria in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Name: Jonathan Pitroipa
Date of Birth: April 12, 1986
Country: Burkina Faso
Club: Stade Rennes (France)
Pitroipa was the star of the Burkina Faso team that reached the final of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa. His red card against Ghana at the semis drew so much controversy before CAF eventually overturned it, making him eligible for the final. He was adjudged the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. He also scored three times in Burkina Faso run to the World Cup Playoffs. A regular for Stade Rennes, he has made 10 appearances in the current season but yet to score.
Name: Mohamed Aboutreika
Date of Birth: November 7, 1978
Country: Egypt
Club: Ahly (Egypt)
At the twilight of his career, Aboutreika yet again proved he is nowhere near the finish line. He scored six goals for Egypt in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers including one on his centenary appearance with the Pharaohs against Guinea. With Ahly, he was the pivot as the Egyptian giants retained the CAF Champions League title scoring in both legs in the final. He scored five times in the campaign as Ahly cruised to an unprecedented eighth title despite the absence of a football competition in Egypt in two years.
Name: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Date of Birth: June 18, 1989
Country: Gabon
Club: Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
Aubameyang was on target three times for Gabon (a hat-trick against Niger) during the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers as Les Panthers failed to reach the Playoffs. His was however been in superb form at club level. He emerged second top scorer in Ligue 1 with 19 goals during 2012-13 season, and also guiding Saint Etienne to the Coupe de La Ligue (French League Cup). In July, he joined German side Borussia Dortmund and has scored eight times in all appearances. He also won the German Super Cup with Dortmund after a 4-2 win over Bayern Munich.
Name: Vincent Enyeama
Date of Birth: August 29, 1982
Country: Nigeria
Club: Lille (France)
The achievement of Nigeria cannot be mentioned without the name of goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama. The shot-stopper is arguably the finest on the continent after superb showings at the Africa Cup of Nations, FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil and the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. He was named the safest pair of hands as Nigeria won the continental crown in South Africa earlier in the year. He also made a name himself with Lille in the French “Ligue 1” having not conceded since September 15; with an eye-popping 14 clean sheets from 16 games and 1035 minutes in total.
Name: Yaya Toure
Date of Birth: May 13, 1983
Country: Cote d’Ivoire
Club: Manchester City (England)
Winner of the last two editions of the African Player of the Toure is still at his peak. He scored two goals including a spectacular free-kick against Tunisia at the group stage. Though the Elephants failed to go past the quarters, he has served the pillar of the Ivorian team in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, netting four goals in the process. At Manchester City, he is a cult figure and has been the driving force for the club. For the current 2013-14 season, the midfielder has found the back of the net five times in 11 games.
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