The CAF Awards ceremony, held in Lagos, Nigeria, brought together a host of stars for the 22nd edition. The highly anticipated “Best African Player of the Year” award featured Ivorians Yaya Touré and Didier Drogba, along with Nigerian John Obi Mikel. While Yaya Touré, a two-time African Ballon d’Or winner, was considered a frontrunner, John Obi Mikel’s achievements as an African champion and Europa League winner added an element of surprise. Didier Drogba, already a two-time winner of the trophy, was also among the finalists.
Other awards included the “Best Player Based on the Continent,” for which Egyptians Ahmed Fathi and Mohamed Aboutrika and Nigerian Sunday Mba were nominated. Nigeria was expected to dominate the awards, with coach Stephen Keshi likely to win the best coach and the U17 national team as the best national team.
The complete list of awards included:
- National Team of the Year: Nigeria
- Best Coach of the Year: Stephen Keshi, Nigeria
- Club of the Year: Al Ahly
- Hope of the Year: Kelechi Iheanacho, Nigeria
- Referee of the Year: Djamel Haimoudi, Algeria
- CAF Legends: Mehdi Faria (Morocco), Bruno Metsu (France/Senegal)
- CAF Platinum Award: Nigeria Fans
- Youth National Team of the Year: Nigeria U17
