The final shortlist for the African footballer of the
year has been drawn with one of the trio set to be
named on January 9 in Lagos
Nigeria’s John Obi Mikel will go head to head
against Cote D’Ivoire pair Yaya Toure and Didier
Drogba for the Caf African Footballer of the Year
award to be announced at a gala in Lagos on
January 9.
The trio emerged finalists for the award after Caf
pruned the list of 10 players on Monday. Those
dropped include Nigerian trio of Vincent Enyeama,
Emmanuel Emenike and Ahmed Musa, Egyptian
veteran Mohamed Aboutreika, Burkinabe
midfielder Jonathan Pitroipa, Ghana’s Asamoah
Gyan and Gabon’s Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang.
First time nominee Mikel will attempt to unseat
reigning player of the year Toure and former
winner Drogba. Both Ivoirians have won the
award twice, with Yaya hoping to make it three
wins on a spin.
In a year where national team football accolades
will be key to the award, Mikel should expect to
get a favourable look in by the coaches of the 53
national associations that make up the voting
pool.
The Chelsea midfielder led Nigeria to Africa Cup
of Nations title in February 2013, helping the
Super Eagles defeat the Ivoirians in a testy
quarter final encounter along the way.
Having won the Goal Nigeria Player of the Year
Award for the second time in 2013 among many
other accolades, Mikel certainly looks good
enough for the African title this term.
With key performances that showed him as the
fulcrum of the Nigerian side that broke a 19-year
barren run, Mikel has placed himself at a vantage
point. After all, he is the only one among the trio
that has ever won an Afcon title.
While the Ivoirians have succeeded at their club
sides, they have never been able to bring their
talent to bear on the continent.
Such is the disappointment that has trailed the
so-called Golden Generation of Ivory Coast who
have been unable to back up their immense talent
with a title at senior national team level.
At every point when they had been expected to
make their number count, Drogba, Yaya & co.
have failed, picking up two Afcon silver medals in
2006 and 2012 and finishing fourth in 2008.
Yaya
Toure | Can he make it a third straight award?
Despite arguments that an award of this kind is
supposed to be individual in nature, that is, it
should only be about the tantalising goals and
headlines that a footballer makes, it will be a
disservice to the game if players who win
championships as part of a whole group are
overlooked.
At the Nations Cup, Mikel shone far above the
Ivoirian duo as he was named man of the match
three times and made the official team of the
tournament.
He scored a goal at the Confederations Cup and
also helped his country qualify for the 2014 World
Cup, the first time in more than a decade that a
reigning Afcon winner will play at the Mundial.
His performances in the past year received lots of
praise from many quarters including one major
endorsement from Zambia legend Kalusha Bwalya
who said on SuperSport: “He’s good enough for
the African footballer of the Year award.”
Taking nothing away from Yaya’s performances
as the Elephants qualified for the World Cup and
his impressive displays for Manchester City, Mikel
certainly made the biggest impact in African
football last year with the Super Eagles.
Seven years after winning his last Young Player of
the Year award, the Chelsea midfielder surely
deserves to win the 2013 Caf African Player of the
Year award. goal.com

lets Wait n see. Will Hayatou be fair?

Well said

No offense but mikel is not an outstanding individual player to be crowned Africa's best. Nigeria won the Nations cup doesn't mean we. Had the best player all year round

choosing a player who has been brilliant in his clubside over one who shone in AFCON? Maybe we should as well change the name of the award to BEST AFRICAN PLAYER IN EUROPE.

donfemo: No offense but mikel is not an outstanding individual player to be crowned Africa's best. Nigeria won the Nations cup doesn't mean we. Had the best player all year round

And an outstanding toure couldnt win anything

I picked out the parts that pertain to your comment, in case you were too lazy to read it all

donfemo: No offense but mikel is not an outstanding individual player to be crowned Africa's best. Nigeria won the Nations cup doesn't mean we. Had the best player all year round

>>>>>>

Shegman22:
In a year where national team football accolades
will be key to the award, Mikel should expect to
get a favourable look in by the coaches of the 53
national associations that make up the voting
pool.
With key performances that showed him as the
fulcrum of the Nigerian side that broke a 19-year
barren run, Mikel has placed himself at a vantage
point. After all, he is the only one among the trio
that has ever won an Afcon title.
While the Ivoirians have succeeded at their club
sides, they have never been able to bring their
talent to bear on the continent.
Yaya
Toure | Can he make it a third straight award?
Despite arguments that an award of this kind is
supposed to be individual in nature, that is, it
should only be about the tantalising goals and
headlines that a footballer makes, it will be a
disservice to the game if players who win
championships as part of a whole group are
overlooked.

His performances in the past year received lots of
praise from many quarters including one major
endorsement from Zambia legend Kalusha Bwalya
who said on SuperSport: “He’s good enough for
the African footballer of the Year award.”
Mikel
certainly made the biggest impact in African
football last year with the Super Eagles.

I wonder ooooooo

adegwurulez: And mods why isn't this on front page? A thread bashing mikel is on front page so in all fairness and in the spirit of equity and justice, this thread should also make front page.

I wonder oooooo

adegwurulez: And mods why isn't this on front page? A thread bashing mikel is on front page so in all fairness and in the spirit of equity and justice, this thread should also make front page.

It won't make the front page,unlike the biased and rubbish heys[dumb]posted that made the front page,this is the real and truth epistle from a professional source that know what football entails.Its so disheartening so see Nigerians talk down on their own,which is mostly because he plays for a rival club,na wa for Nigerians.

take this tin to fb now

Anybody sayin we won afcon cos of mikel is insulting the contribution of Sunday mba, moses , onazi , and enyeama. We won it because of d team performance as a result of d team spirit instilled by d coach. We were underwhelming and poor in d group games where mikell missed a penalty sef but managed to step it up in d knock out stage.

yoji: Anybody sayin we won afcon cos of mikel is insulting the contribution of Sunday mba, moses , onazi , and enyeama. We won it because of d team performance as a result of d team spirit instilled by d coach. We were underwhelming and poor in d group games where mikell missed a penalty sef but managed to step it up in d knock out stage.

how many matches onazi and sunday mba started at afcon?.... Mikel obi played every min with 4 assist and 3 man of the match award

Shegman22: how many matches onazi and sunday mba started at afcon?.... Mikel obi played every min with 4 assist and 3 man of the match award

Mike had 2 man of the match awards not 3 and both were against the same team, Burkina Faso in d group and in d final. Against Zambia, man of the match was mweenie, against Ethiopia it was enyeama, against cote d voire it was mba and against Mali it was emenike.
Now mba didn't play our first 2 games which coincidentally were our worst games and was drafted in when we were on d verge of elimination against Ethiopia which we won and that kick started our winning run in the tournament.
Then came cote d voire, our toughest opponent and mba delivered a man of the match performance, scoring d winning goal in d process. Then he scored another memorable goal again in the final to win the cup for Nigeria. Both goals were classic memorable goals that will live in our memories for a very long time and as such, in the next 10year's when the 2013 AFCON is mentioned its Sunday mba we will remember and not mike obi.
I still maintain that we won it as a team cos everybody played his part, but since some people wanna give d praise to mikel by saying he led us and was d star, then i must disagree cos that acolade has to go to SUNDAY MBA.

yoji:
Mike had 2 man of the match awards not 3 and both were against the same team, Burkina Faso in d group and in d final. Against Zambia, man of the match was mweenie, against Ethiopia it was enyeama, against cote d voire it was mba and against Mali it was emenike.
Now mba didn't play our first 2 games which coincidentally were our worst games and was drafted in when we were on d verge of elimination against Ethiopia which we won and that kick started our winning run in the tournament.
Then came cote d voire, our toughest opponent and mba delivered a man of the match performance, scoring d winning goal in d process. Then he scored another memorable goal again in the final to win the cup for Nigeria. Both goals were classic memorable goals that will live in our memories for a very long time and as such, in the next 10year's when the 2013 AFCON is mentioned its Sunday mba we will remember and not mike obi.
I still maintain that we won it as a team cos everybody played his part, but since some people wanna give d praise to mikel by saying he led us and was d star, then i must disagree cos that acolade has to go to SUNDAY MBA.

Sunday Mba had 2 great display in AFCON,which were the goals against Ivory Coast and Burkinafaso,It was a team work that got naija the trophy,but Mikel was nominated for the player of the tournament which means he was the best in naija team.Sunday Mba has been struggling since,we all saw him at the Confederation cup,and Mikel has proved himself more,I agree that team work got us the trophy.

captain Mikel scored.........