Gabon and Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the 2015 CAF African Player of the Year 2015.
The centre forward against all odds beat Ivorian and four time award winner Yaya Toure who plies his trade with premier league side Manchester City and Ghana’s Swansea forward Andre Ayew to win the coveted prize for the first time in history.
The 26 year old polled 143 points; seven better than Toure while Ayew finished third with 112 points.
By doing so, he becomes the first man from Gabon to win the prize and was crowned at the 2015 Glo-CAF Awards glamorous ceremony on Thursday held at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, Nigeria.
At the same function, Tanzanian striker Mbwana Ally Samatta won the prize for the best player of the year based on the continent.
The Women Player of the Award went to Cameroon’s Gaelle Enganamouit to become the first Cameroonian to win it.
Ivorian Coach Renard Herve picked the Coach of the Year Award for guiding the Elephants to the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations glory; their first since 1992.
Elsewhere, Cameroon scooped the Women’s National Team of the Year prize and DR Congo giants, TP Mazembe, Club of the Year, whilst Gambian Papa Bakary Gassama went home with the Referee of the Year award.
Former Ghana coach Charles Kumi Gyamfi and Cameroonian Samuel Mbappe Leppe were honoured in the African Legend category.
Abdiqani Said Arab won the Leader of the Year award whilst Senegal-based Supporters’ Group Allez Casa went home with the Fair Play Award.
FULL WINNERS
AFRICAN PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Pierre-Emerick AUBAMEYANG (Gabon)
AFRICAN PLAYER OF THE YEAR – BASED IN AFRICA – Mbwana Aly SAMATTA
WOMEN’S PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Gaelle ENGANAMOUIT (Cameroon)
YOUTH PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Victor OSIMHEN (Nigeria)
MOST PROMISING TALENT OF THE YEAR – Etebo Peter OGHENEKARO (Nigeria)
COACH OF THE YEAR – Herve RENARD (France) – Former Coach of Cote d’Ivoire
REFEREE OF THE YEAR – Bakary Papa GASSAMA (Gambia)
NATIONAL TEAM OF THE YEAR – Cote d’Ivoire
WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM OF THE YEAR – Cameroon
CLUB OF THE YEAR – TP Mazembe (DR Congo)
LEADER OF THE YEAR – Abdiqani Said Arab (Somalia)
FAIR PLAY AWARD – Allez Casa Supporters Group (Senegal)
AFRICAN LEGEND
Charles Kumi GYAMFI (Ghana)
Samuel MBAPPE LEPPE (Cameroon)
AFRICA FINEST XI
Goalkeeper: Robert Muteba KIDIABA (DR Congo)
Defenders: Serge AURIER (Cote d’Ivoire), Aymen ABDENNOUR (Tunisia), Mohamed MEFTAH (Algeria)
Midfielders: Andre AYEW (Ghana), Yaya TOURE (Cote d’Ivoire), Sadio MANE (Senegal), Yacine BRAHIMI (Algeria),
Forwards: Mbwana Aly SAMATTA (Tanzania), Pierre-Emerrick AUBAMEYANG (Gabon), Baghdad BOUNEDJAH (Algeria)
Substitutes
Djigui DIARRA (Mali)
Azubuike OKECHUKWU (Nigeria)
Kelechi NWAKALI (Nigeria)
Zinedine FERHAT (Algeria)
Adama TRAORE (Mali)
Victor OSIMHEN (Nigeria)
Kermit ERASMUS (South Africa)