ABUJA is the place to be tomorrow where categories of winners will be announced, chief of which is the Glo-CAF 2016 African Footballer Of the Year Award.
In recent years, the winners of Glo-CAF Best Footballer title were almost always obvious before they were officially announced, yet this time the profiles of contenders are so noteworthy that each of the finalists has a legitimate claim to the crown.
Holder, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is condemned to feeling threatened when he sights in the gallery Algeria’s Riyadh Mahrez and Senegalese Sadio Mane. Really, it is a tough one to call and unlike a football match, this contest cannot end in a draw. A winner MUST emerge. Whoever is picked, African football is the winner. Each of the three nominees is a standard bearer of Africa, they are great sportsmen who play by the rules and so far have avoided scandals that is the lot of celebrities in their class.
SADIO Mane — Senegalese winger is one of the best African exports to Europe having previously proved himself in Metz (France), Red Bull Salzburg (Austria) and lately, Southampton and Liverpool, both in England. His participation in the forthcoming Africa Nations Cup in Gabon is already generating concern among Liverpool fans because there are few like Sadio in terms of direct, terrific, wing play in that country. He is already in English Premier League’s history book as the player that scored the fastest football hat trick. Then with Southampton on 16 May 2015, Mané scored three times in two minutes 56 seconds in a 6–1 home win over Aston Villa . Mane is a strong contender to the player title but the absence of club and national team titles may eventually hinder his choice and ambition to emulate senior compatriot, El Hadji Diouf.
RIYAD MAHREZ:The story of Leicester City’s amazing title win in the 2015/2016 English Premiership season will be bias if Mahrez is not scripted as the lead character. He might have had a thinner goal account than Leicester’s top scorer, Jamie Vardy but he was obviously the Leo Messi within the ranks of The Foxes.
His elastic body kinetics sent bigger figures the wrong way and his deft left foot knows how to pick out his team mates and confound opposing goalkeepers. At the end of that season, he was voted player of the competition by those who should know-The Professional Football Association (PFA).
Late last year, Mahrez was voted BBC African Player Of the Year 2016 and this could go a long way in winning him more votes at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) level.
PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG — Decision by Aubameyang to switch international allegiance from France to Gabon is yielding unbelievable dividends, not just to the player but the country Gabon. In years past, not even in the wildest imagination of the Gabonese did it exist that a star would be born that could hoist the glory of the country to such global recognition.
Either with Borussia Dortmund in the German Bundesliga or the Gabonese national team, the best thing that Aubameyang knows how to do best is scoring goals. His goal tally of 16 remains the highest so far in the German Bundesliga.
The Guardian of London in its December 2016 poll rated him the ninth best player in the world. He is the holder of the title and has done enough to retain his crown.
Awards Categories
•African Player of the Year
•Africa Youth Player Of The Year
•African National Team of the Year
•African Women’s National Team of the Year
•CAF Referee of the Year
•CAF Football Leader of the Year
•CAF Most Promising Talent of the Year
•CAF Coach of the Year
•CAF Africa’s Finest XI
•African Player of the Year – Based in Africa
•CAF Platinum Award
•CAF Fair Play Award
•African Inter-Club Team of the Year
•African Women Footballer of the Year
•CAF Legend award
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