#Flashback: 25 years of awarding African best footballers

The Confederation of African Football started awarding
the continent’s best footballers and teams since 1992.

Already, 15 players have been awarded best players of
the year with Cameroonian Samuel Eto’o crowned on
four occasions in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2010.

This record was equaled by Ivorian Yaya Toure in 2011,
2012, 2013 and 2014 while former Senegal forward, El
Hadji Diouf won the award twice in a row in 2001 and
2002.

The first player to be named CAF African Player of the
Year on two occasions was ex-Nigeria captain,
Nwankwo Kanu, in 1996 and 1999 before Ivorian Didier
Drogba in 2006 and 2009.

Ivory Coast leads as the country with the most African
Players of the Year award winners with Yaya Toure
winning four and Didier Drogba winning two. Nigeria
follows with five award winners: Kanu (2), Emmanuel
Amunike (1), Rashidi Yekini (1) and Victor Ikpeba (1).
Cameroon also has five with Patrick Mboma winning
once and Eto’o’s four awards.

Senegal, Ghana, Liberia, Morocco, Mali, Togo and
Gabon won it once each.

Below is a list of player of the year award winners since
the ceremony’s inception.

1992 – Abedi AYEW PELE (Ghana)
1993 – Rashidi YEKINI (Nigeria)
1994 – Emmanuel AMUNIKE (Nigeria)
1995 – George WEAH (Liberia)
1996 – Nwankwo KANU (Nigeria)
1997 – Victor IKPEBA (Nigeria)
1998 – Mustapha HADJI (Morocco)
1999 – Nwankwo KANU (Nigeria)
2000 – Patrick MBOMA (Cameroon)
2001 – El-Hadji DIOUF (Senegal)
2002 – El Hadji DIOUF (Senegal)
2003 – Samuel ETO’O (Cameroon)
2004 – Samuel ETO’O (Cameroon)
2005 – Samuel ETO’O (Cameroon)
2006 – Didier DROGBA (Côte d’Ivoire)
2007 – Frederic KANOUTE (Mali)
2008 – Emmanuel ADEBAYOR (Togo)
2009 – Didier DROGBA (Côte d’Ivoire)
2010 – Samuel ETO’O (Cameroon)
2011 – Yaya TOURE (Côte d’Ivoire)
2012 – Yaya TOURE (Côte d’Ivoire)
2013 – Yaya TOURE (Côte d’Ivoire)
2014 – Yaya TOURE (Côte d’Ivoire)
2015 – Pierre-Emerick AUBAMEYANG (Gabon)
2016 – Riyad Mahrez (Algeria)