All Time List Of African Footballer Of The Year Winners

France Football, the organisers of the Ballon d’Or, organised the Ballon d’Or Africain from 1970 till 1994 and the winner of that award was recognised as the African Footballer of the Year. In 1995 the magazine opened its main Ballon d’Or award to non-European players and discontinued the Ballon d’Or Africain.

CAF began awarding the African Footballer of the Year prize in 1992 and it continues to do so till this day.

France Football Ballon d’Or Africain

1970

1) Salif Keïta (Mali & Saint-Étienne)
2) Laurent Pokou (Ivory Coast & ASEC Mimosas)
3) Ali Abo Greisha (Egypt & Ismaily)

1971

1) Ibrahim Sunday (Ghana & Asante Kotoko)
2) Robert Mensah (Ghana & Asante Kotoko)
3) François Ndoumbé (Cameroon & Canon Yaoundé)

1972

1) Chérif Souleymane (Guinea & Hafia)
2) Bwanga Tshimen (Democratic Republic of Congo & TP Mazembe)
3) Petit Sory (Guinea & Hafia)

1973

1) Bwanga Tshimen (Democratic Republic of Congo & TP Mazembe)
2) Kazadi Mwamba (Democratic Republic of Congo & TP Mazembe)
3) Laurent Pokou (Ivory Coast & ASEC Mimosas)

1974

1) Paul Moukila (Congo & CARA Brazzaville)
2) Lobilo Boba (Democratic Republic of Congo & Vita Club)
3) Hassan Shehata (Egypt & Zamalek)

1975

1) Ahmed Faras (Morocco & Mohammédia)
2) Roger Milla (Cameroon & Tonnere Kalara)
3) Mamadou Aliou Kéïta (Guinea & Hafia)

1976

1) Roger Milla (Cameroon & Tonnere Kalara)
2) Papa Camara (Guinea & Hafia)
3) Ali Bencheikh (Algeria & Moloudia Club Alger)

1977

1) Tarak Dhiab (Tunisia & Esperance Tunis)
2) Papa Camara (Guinea & Hafia)
3) Segun Odegbami (Nigeria & IICC Shooting Stars)

1978

1) Karim Abdul Razak (Ghana & Asante Kotoko)
2) Ali Bencheikh (Algeria & Moloudia Club Alger)
3) Thomas N'Kono (Cameroon & Canon Yaounde)

1979

1) Thomas N'Kono (Cameroon & Canon Yaounde)
2) Adolf Armah (Ghana & Accra Hearts of Oak)
3) Kerfalla Bangoura (Guinea & Horoya)

1980

1) Jean Manga-Onguéné (Cameroon & Canon Yaounde)
2) Segun Odegbami (Nigeria & IICC Shooting Stars)
3) Théophile Abega (Cameroon & Canon Yaounde)

1981

1) Lakhdar Belloumi (Algeria & GC Mascara)
2) Thomas N'Kono (Cameroon & Canon Yaounde)
3) Ali Fergani (Algeria & JS Kabylie)

1982

1) Thomas N'Kono (Cameroon & Espanyol)
2) Salah Assad (Algeria & Mulhouse)
3) Lakhdar Belloumi (Algeria & GC Mascara)

1983

1) Mahmoud El Khatib (Egypt & Al Ahly)
2) Opoku Nti (Ghana & Asante Kotoko)
3) Rafiou Moutairou (Togo & OC Agaza)

1984

1) Théophile Abega (Cameroon & Toulouse)
2) Joseph-Antoine Bell (Cameroon & Al Mokawloon Al Arab)
3) Ibrahim Youssef (Egypt & Zamalek)

1985

1) Mohamed Timoumi (Morocco & AS FAR)
2) Rabah Madjer (Algeria & Porto)
3) Ibrahim Youssef (Egypt & Zamalek)

1986

1) Ezzaki Badou (Morocco & Montpellier)
2) Abdelaziz Bouderbala (Morocco & Sion)
3) Roger Milla (Cameroon & Montpellier)

1987

1) Rabah Madjer (Algeria & Porto)
2) Youssouf Fofana (Ivory Coast and Monaco)
3) François Omam-Biyik (Cameroon & Laval)

1988

1) Kalusha Bwalya (Zambia & Cercle Brugge)
2) Roger Milla (Cameroon & Montpellier)
3) 2) Youssouf Fofana (Ivory Coast and Monaco)

1989

1) George Weah (Liberia & Monaco)
2) Joseph-Antoine Bell (Cameroon & Bordeux)
3) Kalusha Bwalya (Zambia & PSV)

1990

1) Roger Milla (Cameroon & Saint-Pierroise)
2) Tahar Chérif El-Ouazzani (Algeria & Aydınspor)
3) Rabah Madjer (Algeria & Porto)
3) François Omam-Biyik (Cameroon & Rennes)

1991

1) Abedi Pele (Ghana & Marseille)
2) George Weah (Liberia & Monaco)
3) François Omam-Biyik (Cameroon & Cannes)

1992

1) Abedi Pele (Ghana & Marseille)
2) George Weah (Liberia & Paris Saint-Germain)
3) Tony Yeboah (Ghana & Eintracht Frankfurt)

1993

1) Abedi Pele (Ghana & Marseille)
2) Tony Yeboah (Ghana & Eintracht Frankfurt)
3) Rashidi Yekini (Nigeria & Vitória de Setúbal)


1994

1) George Weah (Liberia & Paris Saint-Germain)
2) Emmanuel Amunike (Nigeria & Sporting Lisbon)
3) Daniel Amokachi (Nigeria & Everton)

(Some Nigerians believed that France Football favoured players from francophone countries and players that played in France and they were happy when CAF began its own awards).


CAF African Footballer of the Year

1992

1) Abedi Pele (Ghana & Marseille)

1993

1) Rashidi Yekini (Nigeria & Vitória de Setúbal)

1994

1) Emmanuel Amunike (Nigeria & Sporting Lisbon)
2) George Weah (Liberia & Paris Saint-Germain)
3) Rashidi Yekini (Nigeria & Olympiacos)

1995

1) George Weah (Liberia & AC Milan)
2) Emmanuel Amunike (Nigeria & Sporting Lisbon)
3) Daniel Amokachi (Nigeria & Everton)

1996

1) Nwankwo Kanu (Nigeria & Inter Milan)
2) George Weah (Liberia & AC Milan)
3) Daniel Amokachi (Nigeria & Besiktas)


1997

1) Victor Ikpeba (Nigeria & Monaco)
2) Japhet N'Doram (Chad & Monaco)
3) Taribo West (Nigeria & Inter Milan)

1998

1) Mustapha Hadji (Morocco & Deportivo La Coruna)
2) Augustine Jay Jay Okocha (Nigeria & Paris Saint-Germain)
3) Sunday Oliseh (Nigeria & Ajax Amsterdam)

1999

1) Nwankwo Kanu (Nigeria & Arsenal)
2) Samuel Osei Kuffour (Ghana & Bayern Munich)
3) Ibrahima Bakayoko (Ivory Coast & Marseille)

2000

1) Patrick M'Boma (Cameroon & Parma)
2) Lauren Etame-Mayer (Cameroon & Mallorca)
3) Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon & Mallorca)

2001

1) El Hadji Diouf (Senegal & Lens)
2) Samuel Kuffour (Ghana & Bayern Munich)
3) Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon & Mallorca)


2002

1) El Hadji Diouf (Senegal & Liverpool)
2) Papa Bouba Diop (Senegal & Lens)
3) Ahmed Hossam Mido (Egypt & Ajax)

2003

1) Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon & Mallorca)
2) Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast & Marseille)
3) Augustine Jay Jay Okocha (Nigeria & Bolton Wanderers)

2004

1) Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon & Barcelona)
2) Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast & Chelsea)
3) Augustine Jay Jay Okocha (Nigeria & Bolton Wanderers)

2005

1) Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon & Barcelona)
2) Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast & Chelsea)
3) Michael Essien (Ghana & Chelsea)


2006

1) Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast & Chelsea)
2) Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon & Barcelona)
3) Michael Essien (Ghana & Chelsea)

2007

1) Frédéric Kanouté (Mali & Sevilla)
2) Michael Essien (Ghana & Chelsea)
3) Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast & Chelsea)

2008

1) Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo & Arsenal)
2) Mohamed Abou Trika (Egypt & Al Ahly)
3) Michael Essien (Ghana & Chelsea)

2009

1) Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast & Chelsea)
2) Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon & Inter Milan)
3) Michael Essien (Ghana & Chelsea)


2010

1) Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon & Inter Milan)
2) Asamoah Gyan (Ghana & Sunderland)
3) Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast & Chelsea)

2011

1) Yaya Touré (Ivory Coast & Manchester City)
2) Seydou Keita (Mali & Barcelona)
3) André Ayew (Ghana & Marseille)

2012

1) Yaya Touré (Ivory Coast & Manchester City)
2) Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast & Shanghai Shenhua)
3) Alex Song (Cameroon & Barcelona)

2013

1) Yaya Touré (Ivory Coast & Manchester City)
2) John Mikel Obi (Nigeria & Chelsea)
3) Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast & Galatasaray)

2014

1) Yaya Touré (Ivory Coast & Manchester City)
2) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon & Borussia Dortmund)
3) Vincent Enyeama (Nigeria & Lille)

2015

1) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon & Borussia Dortmund)
2) Yaya Touré (Ivory Coast & Manchester City)
3) 3) André Ayew (Ghana & Swansea City)

2016

1) Riyad Mahrez (Algeria & Leicester City)
2) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon & Borussia Dortmund)
3) Sadio Mané (Senegal & Liverpool)


2017

1) Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Liverpool)
2) Sadio Mané (Senegal & Liverpool)
3) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon & Borussia Dortmund)

2018

1) Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Liverpool)
2) Sadio Mané (Senegal & Liverpool)
3) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon & Arsenal)

2019

1) Sadio Mané (Senegal & Liverpool)
2) Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Liverpool)
3) Riyad Mahrez (Algeria & Manchester City)

2022
1) Sadio Mané (Senegal & Bayern Munich)
2) Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Liverpool)
3) Édouard Mendy (Senegal & Chelsea)

2023

1) Victor Osimhen (Nigeria & Napoli)
2) Achraf Hakimi (Morocco & Paris Saint-Germain)
3) Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Liverpool)