Osimhen, Etebo win but Aubameyang is African footballer of the year

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Gabon is the 2015 African Footballer of the Year.

The 26-year-old Borussia Dortmund forward beat four-time winner, Yaya Toure, to the second position while Ghana’s Andre Ayew came third at the awards gala held on Thursday night in Abuja, Nigeria.

Aubameyang narrowly won with 143 points, just seven better than the runner-up, Toure, who gathered 136 points while Ayew polled 112 points.

Golden Eaglets star, Victor Osimhen, was also voted the 2015 Youth Player of the Year, while compatriot, Etebo Oghenekaro was the Most Promising Talent of the Year.

The 17-year-old who helped Nigeria to the 2015 Under-17 World Cup and Africa U-23 championship triumph beat competition from Adama Traore and Samuel Diarra of Mali, Yaw Yeboah of Ghana, and compatriot Kelechi Nwakali.

Warri Wolves player, Oghenekaro, beat Nigeria’s Olympic Dream Team VI captain, Azubuike Okechuwku to win the Most Promising Talent award.

Etebo helped Nigeria to the 2015 U-23 Championship in Senegal with decisive goals in the last game of the tournament.

The Most Promising Talent and the Youth player awards were voted for by coaches, captains and selected football officials from the continent’s associations and teams.

Tanzania’s Mbwana Aly Samata was voted the 2015 Africa-based African Footballer of the Year. He beat Congolese goalkeeper, Robert Kidiaba Muteba to second place.

Nigeria’s only nominee in the Women Footballer of the Year category, Ebere Ngozi, lost out to Cameroon’s Gaelle Enganamouit.

In the Coach of the Year Category, Cote d’Ivoire’s 2015 Nations Cup winning manager, Herve Renard, beat Nigeria’s U-17 World Championship triumphant coach, Emmanuel Amuneke, to the prestigious award.

In other awards given on the night, the Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon were voted the Women National Team of the Year.

TP Mazembe of Congo won the Club of the Year Award, while Cote d’Ivoire was voted the Men’s National Team of the Year 2015.

Gambian referee, Bakary Papa Gassama, beat competition from four others to emerge the best African Official of the Year.

Ghanaian legend Charles Kumi Gyami and Samuel Mbappe Leppe of Cameroon were honoured as African legends.