Yaya deserves African Player of the Year Award, says Odegbami

 

The former Super Eagles winger has tipped the Ivorien to win the Glo/Caf award for the fourth time ahead of Enyeama and Aubameyang

Nigeria legend Segun Odegbami is rooting for Cote d’Ivoire captain Yaya Toure to be crowned as 2014 African Footballer of Year.
The Manchester City midfielder will compete with Nigeria’s Vincent Enyeama and Gabonese star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for the award to be announced at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos on Thursday.
According to the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations star, the trio have done creditably well in the year under review but the Yaya stands out tall.
"Toure has been exceptional and deserves the award. My thought is that he should win,” Odegbami told Punch.
"Vincent is a goalkeeper; it appears hard for people to appreciate goalkeepers. Goalkeepers are only considered in years where there are no exceptional players.
"Unfortunately we have a Yaya who is doing brilliantly and Pierre who is also doing very well for Borussia Dortmund.”
He also hinged the country’s inability to produce Africa’s best, because the country no longer produces exceptionally gifted players.
"Players come; it’s a generational thing. It’s not as if you manufacture them. They come from time to time. Unfortunately in this era we don’t have truly exceptional players. That is the problem.
"There was a time when Nigerians were winning it successively. It’s a commentary on the state of the development of our football,” he concluded.
Rasheed Yekini, Emmanuel Amuneke, Victor Ikpeba and Kanu Nwankwo are the only Nigerian to have won this award since inception in 1992.



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