Gabon
striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was named African Footballer of the
Year on Thursday, narrowly edging out Yaya Toure at the Confederation
of African Football awards ceremony.
The
prolific Borussia Dortmund forward, who received 143 votes to
four-time winner Toure's 136, is the first player from the central
African country to win the award.
His
accolade comes despite a year without trophy success. He was captain
of the Gabon team eliminated in the first round of the African
Nations Cup finals in Equatorial Guinea at the start of 2015 and his
club finished seventh in the Bundesliga last season.
But
he did score 29 Bundesliga goals in 2015, including 18 this season
plus a further seven in the Europa League. He is the first
Bundesliga-based player to win the annual award first introduced in
1970.
"His
potency in front of goal has seen him become one of the most
recognisable strikers in Europe this season," said his citation.
"I
thank the people of Gabon, this award is for them. I want to thank my
team mates in the national team and also at Dortmund. It is their
work that helps me to score goals. For the parents of the youth of
Africa, please give your kids a chance to realise their dreams,"
Aubameyang said in his acceptance speech.
The
26-year-old is the second player born in Europe to win the award
after Frederic Kanoute, the Parisian-born Mali international.
Aubameyang's
father was captain of Gabon and played professionally in France. His
mother is Spanish, he was born in France but raised in Italy.
The
African Footballer of the Year is decided by a vote of coaches or
technical directors of all Africa's national teams.
Toure
had won the award for an unprecedented four years in succession from
2011-2015 and was the favourite for a fifth after captaining Ivory
Coast to the African Nations Cup title.
Ghana
international Dede Ayew, who left Olympique Marseille in France for
Swansea City in mid-year, was third with 112 votes. His father Abedi
Pele won the award three times from 1991 to 1993.
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