By Dayo Awoniyi
Former Ivory Coast international Yaya Toure has admitted that John Mikel Obi was more deserving of the 2013 CAF African Player of the Year award, which Toure ultimately received.
Speaking on the Obi One Podcast, hosted by the former Chelsea and Super Eagles midfielder, Toure candidly acknowledged that Mikel’s performances that year, both for club and country, warranted the honor.
“You deserved it, Obi, to be honest, because in the league, the season was perfect. Nigeria won the AFCON, and you were instrumental in this period,” Toure said.
Mikel played a key role in Nigeria’s 2013 Africa Cup of Nations triumph and was also a vital figure for Chelsea, helping the club secure UEFA Europa League glory that same year.
Toure, who played for Manchester City at the time, expressed surprise at being chosen, revealing that he had not been informed ahead of the ceremony and questioned the process.
“The thing is, I was told nothing [by CAF], and I said Obi deserved it at the time. If it were me or him, it would have been fine, but the big question was me attending the ceremony. If we don’t go there, who’s going to support?” he added.
Mikel ultimately finished third in the voting—a result that has remained controversial among fans, drawing parallels with the 1998 snub of Jay-Jay Okocha, who lost out to Morocco’s Mustapha Hadji despite a stellar year.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
