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Wed, Aug 30, 2023 11:50 AMGabon's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang named African Player of the Year
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Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been awarded the African Player of the Year title, beating four-time winner Yaya Toure. Despite a lack of silverware in 2015, Aubameyang's impressive goal-scoring record in the German Bundesliga and Europa League helped him secure the prestigious title. This article delves into Aubameyang's achievement and the significance of this award for the Gabonese and African football.
Abuja - Gabon's attacking sensation Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been crowned African Player of the Year on Thursday (January 7), surpassing the four-time winner Yaya Toure at the awards ceremony hosted by the Confederation of African Football.
The sharp Borussia Dortmund forward, who received 143 votes, edged past Yaya Toure's 136 votes to become the first player from Central Africa to receive this accolade.
Aubameyang garnered this recognition despite a year without any notable trophies. He captained the Gabon national team, which was eliminated in the first round of the African Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea early in 2015, and his club finished in seventh place in the German Bundesliga last season.
However, Aubameyang netted a remarkable 29 goals in the Bundesliga in 2015, including 18 goals in the current season, along with seven strikes in the Europa League. He is the first Bundesliga player to win this award since its introduction in 1970.
"I am grateful to the people of Gabon; this award is for them. I would like to thank my teammates in the national team and also at Dortmund. Their hard work helped me score goal after goal. To the parents of young kids in Africa, please give your children the chance to pursue their dreams," Aubameyang said during his speech.
The 26-year-old player is the second European-born player to win this award, following in the footsteps of Frederic Kanoute, the Mali international who was born in Paris.
Aubameyang's father was the former Gabon captain and played professionally in France, while his mother is Spanish, and he was born in France but grew up in Italy.
The African Player of the Year award is determined by votes from coaches or technical directors of all the national teams in Africa.
Toure had won this award for four consecutive years from 2011 to 2015 and was expected to claim it for the fifth time after leading the Ivory Coast to victory in the African Cup of Nations.
Ghanaian international Dede Ayew, who left Olympique Marseille in France to join Swansea City in the middle of the year, secured the third position with 112 votes. His father, Abedi Pele, won this award three times from 1991 to 1993.
Source of content: OOO News 2023-08-30 News
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