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| Segun Odegbami |
Former Nigerian internationals Segun
Odegbami and Friday Ekpo have tipped Ivorien midfielder, Yaya Toure, to
win the Glo/CAF African best player award at a ceremony billed to hold
in Lagos on Thursday.
Odegbami and Ekpo who spoke to our
correspondent on Tuesday said even though Lille’s Vincent Enyeama of
Nigeria and Gabonese Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who plays for Borussia
Dortmund have done creditably well, Toure, of Manchester City stands
out.
Odegbami said, “Toure has been
exceptional and deserves the award. My thought is that he should win.
Vincent is a goalkeeper; it appears hard for people to appreciate
goalkeepers. Goalkeepers are only considered in years where there are no
exceptional players. Unfortunately we have a Yaya who is doing
brilliantly and Pierre who is also doing very well for Borussia
Dortmund.”
He said the country has failed to produce Africa’s best, because the country no longer has exceptionally gifted players.
“Players come; it’s a generational
thing. It’s not as if you manufacture them. They come from time to time.
Unfortunately in this era we don’t have truly exceptional players. That
is the problem,” he said.
“There was a time when Nigerians were
winning it successively. It’s a commentary on the state of the
development of our football.”
Former Eagles midfielder, Ekpo said all
three players deserve to be winner going by their contribution to their
clubs and national teams. He however added that as much as he wants
Enyeama to win the award, Toure is in a better position to win it.
“Vincent Enyeama has done marvellously
well. He practically singlehandedly saw us qualify for the World Cup and
he has contributed immensely to the lifting of the Eagles. At the club
level, he has done well. If you look at these things together, he
deserves to be a winner,” Ekpo said.
“But if you talk of Yaya; he has been
very outstanding for both club and country. If he was not listed,
sincerely speaking, maybe Enyeama would have won it. Enyeama is my
brother I wish he would win it, but thumbs up for Yaya. He stands out
among the three.”
Like Odegbami, Ekpo said Nigerian
players have failed to win the CAF award in the past few years because
the country has no outstanding players in Europe in the current
dispensation.
“Nigerian players in Europe play second
fiddle. Even the Senegalese are doing better in Europe than Nigerians.
Instead of staying in clubs where they can have playing time; Nigerian
players will choose to go to bigger clubs were they will sit on the
bench,” Ekpo said.
Meanwhile, a former Eagles goalkeeper,
Ike Shorunmu, refused to tip any of the three finalists for the award,
but said he was glad the Enyeama made it to the final three.
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