CAF Award List And The Three Eagles

Keen followers of the beautiful game were however not completely amazed with the omission from the list of four-time winner, Yaya Toure given his declining form in the closing stages of last season; a nightmare that has grown worse since his ex- coach at Barcelona, Pep Guardiola succeeded Manuel Pellegrini at the Etihad dugout following the decision of Manchester City Football Club to part ways with the Chilean gaffer.

Unlike Toure, legendary Cameroonian forward and four-time African Footballer of the Year, Samuel Eto Fils made the list, with bookmakers seeing his inclusion as a mark of respect for his career which has seen him ply his trade in Spain, Italy, England and now, Turkey. Although the CAF Award gala night is expected to hold early next year, chances of the Nigerian nominees for the big prize has dominated discourse in the past few days, with many settling for Aubameyang to retain the coveted honour. So, how does the trio of the Nigerian superstars come to the party?

John Mikel Obi (Chelsea, England) Mikel is arguably the next biggest soccer export to Europe after Nwankwo Kanu and Austin Okocha. Strong and combative, Mikel first came into global limelight at the 2005 World Youth Championship in the Netherlands where his artistry took the team to the final, losing eventually to Argentina, with Lionel Messi scoring two penalties to earn his side a 2-1 victory against Nigeria. Expectedly, Mikel won the silver ball for his achievement even as soccer pundits faulted the choice of Messi for the golden ball. In their estimation, the Nigerian did more than the pint-size Argentine and save for the penalties in the final, not a few analysts were unanimous that the ultimate individual prize ought to go the way of the Jos-born mercurial midfielder.

Thus, when Mikel joined English giants, Chelsea following a hard-fight with Manchester United, the expectation back home was that Mikel would grow to become one of the best players in the world. More than a decade at Stamford Bridge, the defensive midfielder has failed to live up to the hype, playing sparingly under Jose Mourinho in his two spells as manager of the Pensioners. Although, all the managers that succeeded Mourinho following his first departure from the club retained the services of Mikel; only Dutch coach Guus Hiddink gave him enough game time as he became an integral part of the first XI.

Winner of two league titles, four FA cups, two league cups and a Champions League, Mikel won the African Cup of Nations trophy in 2013. It was the year many expected him to win the continental individual honour following his listing alongside teammate, Vincent Enyeama and Yaya Toure. But voters thought otherwise as Toure was announced winner for the fourth time in a row. Since former Juventus and Italy coach, Antoine Conte took the managerial job at the London-based club, Mikel is yet to feature in a competitive game; a development the player himself earlier in the season said would be reviewed when his contract comes to an end in the current campaign.

While he is not likely to win this time, Mikel says he’s over the moon with his nomination for the top prize. In his twitter handle two days ago, Mikel expressed happiness for making the cut alongside Iheanacho and Musa. “Proud for Nigeria to be nominated for @CAF_online African Footballer of the Year along with@ 67Kelechi and @7 Musa,” he tweeted.

Mikel’s career thus far in Chelsea which has seen him scored a paltry 5 goals in more than a decade is up there for debate. While some pundits fault Mourinho’s decision to covert him to a defensive midfielder as the sole reason for his average outing in the last couple of years; others blame the 29 year-old for failing to take the initiative to express himself at the big stage.

Ahmed Musa (Leicester City, England) The former Kano Pillars forward was unarguably Eagles’ best player at the last World Cup, with a brace to his name against Argentina. One of the best players with CSKA Moscow in the past three seasons, Musa’s consistency, pace and shooting ability caught the attention of English Champions, Leicester City as they coughed out a whopping 16 million pounds to price him away from Russia.

After 8 games in the ongoing 2016/2017 EPL season, Musa is yet to find the back of the net for his new club, leading to insinuations he might consider heading back to Russia. But in an interview with sports journalists, Musa stressed the place of patience in the affairs of man, arguing that in no distant future, he would hit the ground running for both club and country. “I will prove I can make the difference at Leicester. This is a new team for me, unlike most of the players in the team, and so it will take some time to fit in but I believe I will soon be commanding a first-team place,” he said last week.

Like Mikel, 24 year-old Musa stands no chance this time of joining compatriots in the continental hall of fame-Rashidi Yekini (of blessed memory), Nwankwo Kanu and Victor Ikpeba, all past winners of the award. However, the fleet-footed winger is a candidate for the future should he manage to replicate the form that made him such a revered idol in Russia.

Kelechi Iheanacho (Manchester City, England) He’s the rave of the moment and arguably Africa’s biggest youth prodigy at the moment. When he joined the Etihad outfit two seasons ago, not many reckoned he would make the bench, let alone take to the pitch to express himself. But Kelechi has surpassed his own expectation by taking his chances first under Pellegrini and now, Guardiola. Following the suspension of ace forward, Sergio Aguero for three matches, the youngster was given a rare start against neighbours Manchester United at the Etihad in the ongoing campaign. At the end, he got the first goal and had more than a passing influence on the second.

His growing importance for both club and country is underscored by his consistency, which has seen him scored 10 goals for City and 4 for the Super Eagles including a beautiful one against the Chipolopolo of Zambia at Ndola penultimate week.

Although bookmakers would readily hazard a guess that the biggest continental award is not his yet; the former Taye Academy player is on course to win the CAF Young Player of the Year, with a combination of luck and cool headedness, that is.