ALTHOUGH there is no player from Cameroon among the five finalists for the 2024 CAF Awards Men’s Player of the Year, the Indomitable Lions have produced more winners of the prize over the years than any other national team.
The winner of this year’s award will be crowned in Marrakech, Morocco on Monday night, with Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman contesting with Simon Adingra of Cote d’Ivoire, Achraf Hakimi of Morocco, Ronwen Williams of South Africa and Serhou Guirassy of Guinea.
Past winners of the African Footballer of the Year award, which was first introduced more than a half century ago, come from 17 different Confederation of African Football member nations.
Cameroon are clearly ahead on the list of countries with the most awards, enjoying a total of 11 from Roger Milla’s first in 1976 to 2010 when Samuel Eto’o won the last of his record-breaking number of four triumphs.
The achievement of four awards for Eto’o was matched by Yaya Toure, who won his successively from 2011 to 2014.
Along with two awards for compatriot Didier Drogba, it means Cote d’Ivoire are joint-second on the list of successful countries with a total of six awards.
This is shared with Nigeria, whose six awards are spread across Nwankwo Kanu (twice), Emmanuel Amuneke, Victor Ikpeba, Victor Osimhen and Rashidi Yekini.
Ghana have five awards, including three in a row for Abedi Pele, whose son Dede Ayew was third in 2015.
COUNTRIES TO WIN THE MEN’S PLAYER OF THE YEAR
11 – Cameroon
6 – Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria
5 – Ghana
4 – Morocco, Senegal
3 – Algeria, Egypt, Liberia
2 – Mali
1 – Congo, Gabon, Guinea, Togo, Tunisia, Zaire (now DR Congo), Zambia
