Mohammed Salah Takes Over From Ryad Mahreez, As The Egyptian Wins The 2017 African Footballer Of The Year
Angu Lesley Ngwa
The annual ceremony to award the most outstanding football actors for the year 2017 was conducted yesterday in Accra Ghana with EGYPT and Liverpool star Mohammed Salah seeing off competition from Gabon and Dortmund forward Pierre Emerick Aubameyang plus Senegalese and Liverpool team mate Sadio Mane to win the award.
Sallah had a 2017 to remember helping AS Roma to qualify for the UEFA Champions,took Egypt again to the world cup for the first time in 30 years and he is currently having a historic season at Liverpool.
Sallah follows previous Egyptian winner Mohammed Aboutrika winner in 2008. Mo Sallah was equally voted BBC player of the year late last year.
Sallah takes the award to Egypt for the 2nd time in the history of the football nation.
Cameroonian born striker Vincent Aboukar first 5th in the award.
Chipolopolo and Liefering striker Patson Daka who arrived in Accra in the same flight with FAZ President Andrew Kamanga won the young player of the year.
The 19 year old was up against midfielder Krepin Diatta of Senegal and Salam Giddou of Mali for the Youth Player of the Year.
Daka joins Clifford Mulenga, who won it in 2007.
Kalusha Bwalya remains the only player from Southern Africa to claim the African Player of the Year award. Great Kalu won it in 1988.
The Austrian based striker helped Zambia Under-20 to the CAF U20 AFCON glory of home soil and was named player of the tournament.
The former Kafue Celtic ace then helped the young guns reach the quarter finals at the FIFA World Youth Championship.
After those wonderful performances at youth level, Daka returned to the national team fold and was part of a resurgent Chipolopolo side that stunned Algeria with back to back wins in the Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
He ended the campaign with 2 goals in 3 appearances in the qualifiers.
At club level, immediately after the Under-20 triumph, Daka scored the winning goal in the Lifering’s 2-1 victory over Benfica in the UEFA Youth Cup final.
For the 2017/18 season has seen the Kafue native make the jump from Lifering which is a feeder club to the main team Red Bull Salzburg and featured in the Austrian Super league and Europa league.
Patson dedicated his award to his friend and Zambia under 17 team mate Changwe Kalele who died last month after a long battle to recover from injuries he suffered in a car accident in Zambia.
Asisat Lamina Oshola won the female footballer of the year for the 3rd year in a row.
Here is a full list of all awards handed out by CAF.
*Aiteo CAF Awards 2017*
- Men’s Player of the Year *Mohammed Salah* (Egypt & Liverpool)
- Youth Player of The Year *Patson Daka* (Zambia & Leifering)
- Coach of the year *Hector Cuper* (Egypt)
- Women’s Player of The Year *Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria & Dalian Quanjian F.C)
- Club of the year *Athletic Club de Wydad* (Morocco)
- Men’s team of the year *Egypt*
- Women’s team of the year *South Africa*
- Legends Award *Ibrahim Sunday* (Former Ghana and Asante Kotoko player)
- Leader of the year *Ahmed Yahya* (Mauritania)
- Africa’s Finest XI
*Aymen Mathlouthi* (Tunisia, Etoile Sahel); *Ahmed Fathy* (Egypt, Al Ahly), *Eric Bailly* (Ivory Coast, Manchester Utd/ENG), *Ali Maaloul* (Tunisia, Al Ahly/EGY); *Mohamed Ounnajem* (Morocco, Wydad Casablanca), *Karim el Ahmadi* (Morocco, Feyenoord/NED), *Junior Ajayi* (Nigeria, Al Ahly/EGY), *Achraf Bencharki* (Morocco, Wydad Casablanca); *Khalid Boutaib* (Morocco, Yeni Malatyaspor/TUR), *Mohamed Salah* (Egypt, Liverpool/ENG), *Taha Yassine Khenissi* (Tunisia, Esperance)
*Special Awards*
- George Weah – President of Liberia *Platinum Award*
- Ghana President *Nana Akufor-Addo* received an Award of behalf of the People of Ghana
