CAF Awards : Eto’o Among Best Three (03.01.2007)
The confederation of African football on December 31, 2006 released a shortlist of three from an initial list of 10 players, for the coveted best African footballer of the year award. The trio comprises the same players who were short listed last year including Didier Drogba, Michael Essien and Samuel Eto’o Fils of Cameroon who has won the award for the past three consecutive years.
The Barcelona Football club attacker is the great favourite to win the trophy for 2006 given his spectacular performance that led his team to be Spanish league champion and European champion. Besides emerging the highest goal scorer in the Spanish league, Eto’o Fils also came out the highest goal scorer in the last African cup of
Nations in Egypt. His only handicap was the knee injury he sustained during a champion’s league match against Werder of Bremen, which has kept him off the pitch for the past three months. But with his expected return to the field of play in about a fortnight, Eto’o can re-conquer lost grounds before the winner of the award is designated on Match 1 in Accra-Ghana.
It is worthy to note that Eto’o has out classed all his rivals in different awards this year; notably the Ballon d’Or award and the FIFA world best player of the year award. Samuel Eto’o Fils, who already set a record to have won the award three consecutive times, will be seeking to extend this record which is yet to be broken in African football history.
