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Yaya Toure named BBC African Footballer of the Year

The people have spoken and Yaya Toure has been voted as the best player in African football for 2013.

After being nominated for the award for the last five years, City’s Ivorian midfielder has been chosen as the BBC African Footballer of the Year for the first time in his glittering career.

Toure beat off competition from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Victor Moses, John Mikel Obi and Jonathan Pitroipa to land the gong in the BBC’s public vote.

This five-man shortlist was drawn up by 44 African football journalists in November and was voted on online by football fans from all over the globe.

"This award is very special because it's not a president of a federation who votes, or a trainer but the fans who have voted for me," Toure told mcfc.co.uk.

"To join such a great list of names to have won the award in the past, it's an incredible feeling.

"When I first signed at City at my first press conference, I said I came here to achieve a lot of things and this is part of that. Personal and collective achievements.

"To be around such great players, like David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Samir, Fernandinho now and Gareth Barry in the past, to play with them is unbelievable - they make my job easier.

"Football is all my life, when I hear fans singing my name, I never want to stop. What the club and the fans have given me here is unbelievable - it's massive."

Even by his own stratospheric standards, Yaya is enjoying a 2013/14 campaign to remember.

The 30-year old has found the back of the net seven times in his 19 appearances for the Blues in all competitions so far this season.

That tally includes four stunning free-kicks against Newcastle United, Hull City, Wigan Athletic and Norwich City.

Yaya also led his country to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, appearing in both legs of the Côte d'Ivoire’s 4-2 aggregate win over Senegal in the play-offs.

Since joining City in 2010, Yaya has added the Community Shield, an FA Cup and the Barclays Premier League title to his collection of medals which also includes the UEFA Champions League, the FIFA World Club Cup and the UEFA Super Cup from his time at FC Barcelona.

Toure has appeared on 153 occasions for City in all competitions over the past four seasons and agreed a new four-year contract at the club in April 2013.

This latest individual award for the midfielder is not to be confused with the African Footballer of the Year prize conferred by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) which Yaya has won for the past two years.

Toure was also named as the only African on the 23-man shortlist for this year’s FIFA World Player of the Year.

Everyone at the club would like to congratulate Yaya on his fantastic achievement.

http://www.mcfc.co.uk/News/Team-news/20 ... f-the-Year

Yaya Toure named 2013 BBC African Footballer of the Year

Yaya Toure has won the 2013 BBC African Footballer of the Year award.

The Ivory Coast and Manchester City midfielder, who had had been nominated in each of the past four years, beat Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Victor Moses, John Mikel Obi and Jonathan Pitroipa to this year's crown.

The 30-year-old told BBC Sport: "I think I've been nominated for five years in a row and finally winning the award is amazing.

“ I'm very happy as it is the fans who have given it to me - so I'm very appreciative ”

"It's a fantastic achievement because I don't think there has ever been as many quality African players in top level international football as there are now: Aubameyang, Pitroipa, Mikel, Moses, Salomon Kalou, Gervinho... we have fantastic players."

"I also think African football is improving and that means a lot to us. And as an African, I'm very happy."

The shortlist for the award was drawn up by 44 football experts across Africa, who based their choices on players' skill, technical ability, teamwork, consistency and fair play.

A record number of fans then voted for their favourite either online or by text message.

And those fans have considered Toure to be the standout African player over the past year, in recognition of the Ivorian's displays of power, pace, creativity and goals.

Toure said: "Thank you to all the fans around the world who continue to support me. It shows how much fans love you and appreciate your job as well.

"It's something special because it's not the vote of the manager or the club or the captain of the national team, it's just the fans.

"When you have a lot of fans behind you, it's always amazing. And I'm very happy as it is the fans who have given it to me - so I'm very appreciative."

PREVIOUS WINNERS
2012 - Christopher Katongo (Zambia and Henan Construction)
2011 - Andre 'Dede' Ayew (Marseille & Ghana)
2010 - Asamoah Gyan (Sunderland & Ghana)
2009 - Didier Drogba (Chelsea & Ivory Coast)
2008 - Mohamed Aboutrika (Al Ahly & Egypt)
2007 - Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal & Togo)
2006 - Michael Essien (Chelsea & Ghana)
2005 - Mohamed Barakat (Al Ahly & Egypt)
2004 - Jay Jay Okocha (Bolton & Nigeria)
2003 - Jay Jay Okocha (Bolton & Nigeria)
2002 - El Hadji Diouf (Liverpool & Senegal)
2001 - Sammy Kuffour (Bayern Munich & Ghana)
2000 - Patrick Mboma (Parma & Cameroon)

While 2013 was not the most successful in terms of silverware for Toure - he did not manage to win anything with club or country - he still impressed hugely with his consistently high level of performances.

And after the disappointment of failure to defend the Premier League title with City, Toure came back stronger at the start of the new season and has added a new dimension to his game in the form of free-kicks.

He curled in a sublime effort against Newcastle United on the first day of the season and repeated the feat against Hull in his side's next home match. Toure has scored four times direct from a set-piece so far in the league this term in a total of seven goals for his club.

In 2013 to date, Toure has found the net 13 goals for club and country - a very respectable figure for a midfielder.

Allied to his clinical finishing, Toure's drive and leadership have helped City to fourth in the league table.

He was also a key figure in Ivory Coast's successful qualification for next year's World Cup finals in Brazil.

The Elephants needed to shrug off a disappointing Africa Cup of Nations Campaign earlier in the year - they lost in the quarter-finals to eventual winners Nigeria - and Toure has been inspirational.

Off the field, Toure has led the fight against racism after suffering abuse during a Champions League match against Russia's CSKA Moscow in October - demonstrating a strength of character to match his sporting ability.

The unsavoury episode might have affected the form of lesser players, but Toure has been exceptional ever since.

And in the fifth consecutive year he has been nominated for the BBC African Footballer of the Year award, Toure has finally been voted the best player on the continent.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25154008

Yaya is often a bit if an enigma. Like In the first half on Sunday he can look a bit short of the pace, then all of a sudden he finds the ball at his feet and seems to say 'Oh f*** it' and goes on an unstoppable run and scores or makes a goal, like Nasri's first against Swansea. I find this quite an appealing and typical City quality....

Lazy waste of space. Drifter mercenary. Get a proper workhorse who can tackle in.

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In all seriousness congrats to Yaya and hope he retires here. It is obvious that every teammate and professional player in the world has massive respect for him. Even with all of the star players at City, I'd argue that Yaya is the most looked up to by fellow professionals.

How could you not love playing with him in your team? Huge physical presence, incredibly nimble footwork, extremely intelligent player, and always remains composed. Never seem him be remotely out muscled. Always steps up in big games. Makes professional football look ridiculously easy and opposing midfielders look like youth players. His heart is 2x the size of a normal human.

Under pressure and want to keep possession? Pass to Yaya.
Won the ball back in your own half and want to launch a quick counter attack? Pass to Yaya.
In a big game and need a game winning goal? Get the ball to Yaya.

He is the first name on our team sheet since the moment he signed. The heartbeat of our play. He's redefined what it means to be a box-to-box player and complete footballer. Long live Yaya!

bigblue wrote:Lazy waste of space. Drifter mercenary. Get a proper workhorse who can tackle in.

------------------

In all seriousness congrats to Yaya and hope he retires here. It is obvious that every teammate and professional player in the world has massive respect for him. Even with all of the star players at City, I'd argue that Yaya is the most looked up to by fellow professionals.

How could you not love playing with him in your team? Huge physical presence, incredibly nimble footwork, extremely intelligent player, and always remains composed. Never seem him be remotely out muscled. Always steps up in big games. Makes professional football look ridiculously easy and opposing midfielders look like youth players. His heart is 2x the size of a normal human.

Under pressure and want to keep possession? Pass to Yaya.
Won the ball back in your own half and want to launch a quick counter attack? Pass to Yaya.
In a big game and need a game winning goal? Get the ball to Yaya.

He is the first name on our team sheet since the moment he signed. The heartbeat of our play. He's redefined what it means to be a box-to-box player and complete footballer. Long live Yaya!

Accurate summary.We all know he has those moments where he isn't the perfect defensive midfield player but boy do the positives outweigh the negatives.Top man, top player and we are blessed to have him

bigblue wrote:Lazy waste of space. Drifter mercenary. Get a proper workhorse who can tackle in.

------------------

In all seriousness congrats to Yaya and hope he retires here. It is obvious that every teammate and professional player in the world has massive respect for him. Even with all of the star players at City, I'd argue that Yaya is the most looked up to by fellow professionals.

How could you not love playing with him in your team? Huge physical presence, incredibly nimble footwork, extremely intelligent player, and always remains composed. Never seem him be remotely out muscled. Always steps up in big games. Makes professional football look ridiculously easy and opposing midfielders look like youth players. His heart is 2x the size of a normal human.

Under pressure and want to keep possession? Pass to Yaya.
Won the ball back in your own half and want to launch a quick counter attack? Pass to Yaya.
In a big game and need a game winning goal? Get the ball to Yaya.

He is the first name on our team sheet since the moment he signed. The heartbeat of our play. He's redefined what it means to be a box-to-box player and complete footballer. Long live Yaya!

that was quite nicely put.

indeed.

My fav player and an absolute mountain of a man. Typifies all the good of modern football for me.

Good article on Yaya and perhaps some insight on why coaches like him so much (he's as interested in the science of football as much as they are, if not more):

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blo ... y-notebook