Former Nigeria Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi insists that CAF should have awarded him the Player of the Year in 2013 instead of Yaya Toure.
The 36-year-old had a successful year in 2013, winning the Europa League with Chelsea and the Africa Cup of Nations title with Nigeria, both at the club and national team levels.
Mikel revealed that CAF had informed him of his triumph before the ceremony, but when he attended it, he witnessed Ivory Coast’s Yaya Toure winning the award.
Recalling the event on his podcast “Obi One,” the former Super Eagles captain expressed a sense of being robbed, stating, “In 2013, it was my trophy (CAF Award) to be won. I won the Africa Cup of Nations, I won the Champions League the year before, and the Europa League in 2013.”
He further mentioned, “And Yaya only won… he didn’t win anything, and coming into the ceremony, I thought I was winning. The information was that I was going to win it; I was told by CAF I was going to win it.”
Despite Mikel Obi expressing his viewpoint multiple times, Yaya Toure and the Confederation of African Football have not responded.
