Aubameyang Dethrones Yaya Toure

BEVERLY HILLS, January 07, (THEWILL) – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Gabon has been named the 2015 African Footballer of the Year thus ending the reign of Cote d'Ivoire's Yaya Toure.

The 26-year-old Borussia Dortmund forward beat four-time winner, Toure, to the second position while Ghana's Andre Ayew came third at the awards gala on Thursday night in Abuja, Nigeria.

Aubameyang garnered 143 points, which was sufficient to dethrone Toure, who gathered 136 points while Ayew polled 112 points.

Nigeria's Victor Osimhen, who helped Nigeria to the 2015 Under-17 World Cup and Africa U-23 championship triumph, was voted the 2015 Youth Player of the Year.

The 17-year-old beat competition from Adama Traore and Samuel Diarra of Mali, Yaw Yeboah of Ghana, and fellow Golden Eaglets star, Kelechi Nwakali.

Another Nigerian, Etebo Oghenekaro, Warri Wolves player, was also voted the Most Promising Talent of the Year.

Oghenekaro, who helped Nigeria to the 2015 U-23 Championship in Senegal with decisive goals in the tournament, beat Nigeria's Olympic Dream Team VI captain, Azubuike Okechuwku to win the award.

Tanzania's Mbwana Aly Samata was voted the 2015 Africa-based African Footballer of the Year. He beat Congolese goalkeeper, Robert Kidiaba Muteba to second place while Cameroon's Gaelle Enganamouit was voted the Women Footballer of the Year.

In the Coach of the Year Category, Cote d'Ivoire's 2015 Nations Cup winning manager, Herve Renard, beat Nigeria's U-17 World Championship triumphant coach, Emmanuel Amuneke, to the prestigious award.

In other awards given on the night, the Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon were voted the Women National Team of the Year, TP Mazembe of Congo voted Club of the Year, while Cote d'Ivoire was voted the Men's National Team of the Year 2015.

Ghanaian legend Charles Kumi Gyami and Samuel Mbappe Leppe of Cameroon were honoured as African legends while Gambian referee, Bakary Papa Gassama was voted African Official of the Year.