Meet past CAF Player of the Year winners
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The Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) on Sunday revealed the top three nominees in each of the men’s categories for the highly anticipated CAF Awards 2025.
The prestigious event is scheduled to take place in Rabat, Morocco, on Wednesday, 19 November 2025, starting at 19:00 local time (18:00 GMT), celebrating the outstanding performances and achievements that have defined African football over the past year.
Leading the race for the Men’s Player of the Year are three of the continent’s brightest stars: Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool), Achraf Hakimi (Morocco/Paris Saint-Germain), and Victor Osimhen (Nigeria/Galatasaray).
In history, Abedi Pele of Ghana claimed the award three years in a row between 1991 and 1993, and future Liberia President George Weah was a winner in 1995, as he also became the first player from Africa to lift the Ballon d’Or.
The record for the most Men’s Player of the Year titles is shared between ex-Cameroon international Samuel Eto’o (2003, 2004, 2005, 2010) and former Cote d’Ivoire midfielder Yaya Toure (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014). Toure is the only player to lift the award four years in a row.
See past winners.
Year Winner Nationality Club (at the time) 2024 Ademola Lookman Nigeria Atalanta Bergamo (Italy) 2023 Victor Osimhen Nigeria Napoli (Italy) 2022 Sadio Mané Senegal Liverpool (England) 2019 Sadio Mané Senegal Liverpool (England) 2018 Mohamed Salah Egypt Liverpool (England) 2017 Mohamed Salah Egypt Liverpool (England) 2016 Riyad Mahrez Algeria Leicester City (England) 2015 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Gabon Borussia Dortmund (Germany) 2014 Yaya Touré Côte d’Ivoire Manchester City (England) 2013 Yaya Touré Côte d’Ivoire Manchester City (England) 2012 Yaya Touré Côte d’Ivoire Manchester City (England) 2011 Yaya Touré Côte d’Ivoire Manchester City (England) 2010 Samuel Eto’o Cameroon Inter Milan (Italy) 2009 Didier Drogba Côte d’Ivoire Chelsea (England) 2008 Emmanuel Adebayor Togo Arsenal (England) 2007 Frédéric Oumar Kanouté Mali Sevilla FC (Spain) 2006 Didier Drogba Côte d’Ivoire Chelsea (England) 2005 Samuel Eto’o Cameroon FC Barcelona (Spain) 2004 Samuel Eto’o Cameroon FC Barcelona (Spain) 2003 Samuel Eto’o Cameroon Mallorca (Spain) 2002 El-Hadji Diouf Senegal Liverpool (England) 2001 El-Hadji Diouf Senegal Lens (France) 2000 Patrick Mboma Cameroon Parma (Italy) 1999* Nwankwo Kanu Nigeria Arsenal (England) 1998* Mustapha Hadji Morocco Deportivo La Coruña (Spain) 1997* Victor Ikpeba Nigeria AS Monaco (France) 1996* Nwankwo Kanu Nigeria Inter Milan (Italy) 1995* George Weah Liberia AC Milan (Italy) 1994* Emmanuel Amunike Nigeria Sporting Clube de Portugal (Portugal) 1993* Rashidi Yekini Nigeria Vitória Futebol Clube (Portugal) 1992* Abedi Pelé Ghana Olympique de Marseille (France)
*From 1992 to 1999, the African Ballon d’Or was awarded by France Football, before CAF took over and renamed it “African Player of the Year” starting in 2000.
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