It turned out to be an evening of great expectations, with many expecting Gabon and Borussia Dortmund’s striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to retain the trophy he won last year, but it was Riyadh Mahrez of Algeria and English Premier League champions, Leicester City, who came out tops as the 2016 African Player of the Year.
The Algeria international midfielder is recognised for his pivotal role in Leicester City’s incredible march to the 2015-16 Premier League title.
Senegal and Liverpool’s Sadio Mane was the second runner-up.
Safe for not winning the continent’s most prestigious award, Nigeria did not do badly, as her national women team, the Super Falcons, was voted the African National Team of the Year (women), Kelechi Iheanacho of Manchester City scooped up the Most Promising Talent Award which was won by Oghenekaro Etebo last year, Alex Iwobi made off with the Youth Player Award and Super Falcons’ Asisat Oshoala beating all comers for a deserved African Women Player of the Year, for her exploits at the last African Women’s Cup of Nations hosted by Cameroon back in December 2016.
Iwobi, who has made a sensational debut n the continental stage, beat off comeptition from Ghanaian duo Sandra Owusu (Black Queens) and Eric Ayiah (Black Starlets).
The award for African Player of the Year based in Africa went to Uganda and Mamelodi Sundowns’ Dennis Onyango, who beat off competition from club-mate Billiat and Zambia and TP Mazembe’s Rainford Kalaba.
__________
Follow us on Twitter at @thesignalng
Copyright 2015 SIGNAL. Permission to use portions of this article is granted provided appropriate credits are given to www.signalng.com and other relevant sources.
