Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure led Cote d’Ivoire to a second AFCON in February in Bata, Equatorial Guinea, to end a 23-year wait and boost his chances of winning a record fifth CAF African Player of Year award on Thursday.
Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o Fils has won the award four times, while Nigeria’s Nwankwo Kanu, El Hadj Diouf of Senegal and Didier Drogba from Cote d’Ivoire have scooped it twice each.
The 32-year-old Yaya has previously won Africa’s most prestigious individual accolade in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 with his immense contributions to his English Premier League club very decisive in those nominations.
The statistics showed that City have shone more with the mercurial Yaya than without him.
But for the past year, it will be mostly his displays for the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire that will clinch him this recognition.
In the absence of the inspirational Drogba, the remnant of Cote d’Ivoire’s ‘Golden Generation’ led by Yaya pipped Ghana on penalties to win the 2015 AFCON.
What the Elephants lacked in top individual stars, they made up for it with a cohesive unit and sheer character.
Gabon skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ghana’s Andre Ayew are the other final nominees for the 2015 award.
They have impressed at their respective European clubs in the past year and will most certainly be potential No.1 stars in Africa in the years to come.
Aubameyang, for one, has been knocking on the door after he placed second to Yaya in the 2014 awards.
