Overview:
Egypt’s Adi-Diba won the inaugural title in 1957. Diba has since inspired more Egyptians to the gong as Mahmoud El Gohary (1959), Hassan El Shazly (1963), Ahmed Hassan (2006), Hosny Abd Rabo (2008) and lately Ahmed Hassan (2010).
Over the years, a number of players have had tremendous performances at the prestigious Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) football tournament.
These are players with individual brilliance that combine personal skills, leadership abilities, individual brilliance and team effort to spur their countries during the championships at hand.
Since 1957 when the AFCON kicked off, different players have lifted their teams and had a great overall influence on the tournament.
In most cases, such a player is drawn from the championship winning team. Often he could be an outstanding scorer with a number of assists or an overall team leader with influential performances on and off the field of play.
Egypt’s Adi-Diba won the inaugural title in 1957. Diba has since inspired more Egyptians to the gong as Mahmoud El Gohary (1959), Hassan El Shazly (1963), Ahmed Hassan (2006), Hosny Abd Rabo (2008) and lately Ahmed Hassan (2010).
Libya, Algeria, Zambia, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Morocco and Cote D’Ivoire have all had a share of the best player’s award.
Nigeria’s William Troost Ekong won the award in 2023 when the tournament was played in Cote D’Ivoire.
As the 2025 championship in Morocco enters the round of 16 stage, the Technical Study Group panel and the team of experts are on a critical look-out for that unique player with overwhelming influence and performance on the team who will take home the best player’s prize.
Egypt has the most titles, 7. Cameroon has won 5 times, Ghana (4), Nigeria (3), Cote D’Ivoire (3), Algeria (2), DR Congo (2), Zambia (1), Tunisia (1), Sudan (1), Senegal (1), South Africa (1), Ethiopia (1), Morocco (1) and Congo (1).
Previous AFCON best player’s (Since 1957):
- 2023 – William Troost Ekong (Nigeria)
- 2021 – Sadio Mane (Senegal)
- 2019 – Ismael Bennacer (Algeria)
- 2017 – Christian Bassogog (Cameroon)
- 2015 – Christian Atsu (Ghana)
- 2013 – Jonathan Pitroipa (Burkina Faso)
- 2012 – Christopher Katongo (Zambia)
- 2010 – Ahmed Hassan (Egypt)
- 2008 – Hosny Abd Rabo (Egypt)
- 2006 – Ahmed Hassan (Egypt)
- 2004 – Jay Jay Okocha (Nigeria)
- 2002 – Rigobert Song (Cameroon)
- 2002 – Lauren (Cameroon)
- 1998 – Benni McCarthy (South Africa)
- 1996 – Kalusha Bwalya (Zambia)
- 1994 – Rashidi Yekini (Nigeria)
- 1992 – Abedi Pele (Ghana)
- 1990 – Rabah Madjer (Algeria)
- 1988 – Roger Milla (Cameroon)
- 1986 – Roger Milla (Cameroon)
- 1984 – Theophile Abega (Cameroon)
- 1982 – Fawzi Al-Issawi (Libya)
- 1980 – Christian Chukwu (Nigeria)
- 1978 – Karim Abdul Razak (Nigeria)
- 1976 – Ahmed Faras (Morocco)
- 1974 – Ndaye Mulamba (DR Congo)
- 1972 – Jean Pierre Tokoto (Cameroon)
- 1970 – Laurent Pokou (Cote D’Ivoire)
- 1968 – Kazadi Mwamba (DR Congo)
- 1965 – Osei Kofi (Ghana)
- 1963 – Hassan El Shazly (Egypt)
- 1962 – Mengistu Worku (Ethiopia)
- 1959 – Mahmoud El-Gohary (Egypt)
- 1957 – Adi-Diba (Egypt)