The Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) is set to announce the 2022 African male player of the year on Thursday 21, 2022.
Football fans will be closely following the ceremony which will be held in Morocco to find out who will be crowned the continent’s best player.
TeamKenya.co.ke looks into players who have won the award on more than three occasions.
Yaya Toure
Yaya Toure is the only African footballer who has won the prestigious award on four consecutive occasions. The Ivorian international bagged the award in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Yaya is without doubt one of the best midfielders the continent has ever produced. He not only scored breathtaking goals but also provided numerous assists for both his country and his clubs.
He was part of the star-studded Ivorian side that won the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) for the first time in 2015.
He also played a crucial part in Barcelona’s 2009 UEFA Champions League triumph. While in his prime in the English Premier League (EPL), Yaya helped Manchester City win numerous trophies including 1 FA and 3 EPL titles.
Samuel Eto'o
Similar to Yaya Toure, the Cameronian forward also boasts of four African Player of the Year awards. Etoo was crowned the continent’s best player three times in a row from 2003 to 2005.
His fourth award came in 2010 after winning the UEFA Champions League title with Italian side Inter Milan under the tutelage of Jose Mourinho during the 2008/2009 season.
The current President of the Cameroon football federation also won 2 UEFA titles with FC Barcelona, scoring a vital goal in the controversial 2005/2006 final against Arsenal.
At the continental level, Eto'o won 2 AFCON titles with the last one coming in 2017, two years before his retirement.
George Weah
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George Ousman Weah is the most decorated African player. The Liberian is the only player in the vast continent who has scooped the Ballon D’Or award.
Weah is also among the few players who have won the African player of the year award three times.
He was first named the best player in the continent in 1989.
Although he had to wait for more than five years before clinching his second award, the former Liberian President won the trophy back to back in 1994 and 1995.
He had successful spells at various European clubs including AC Milan, Paris Saint Germain, Monaco and London-based side Chelsea, registering 212 goals in 488 career appearances, both at the club and international levels.
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