Aubameyang Named Bundesliga Player Of The Year

Gabon and Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been linked with away from Germany

Gabon and Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been voted as the German Bundesliga’s Player of the Year.

The Gabon captain finished just 0.2% ahead of Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, who was the top scorer in the league last season.

The award is voted for by the German players’ union, the VDV.

“It’s a great honour to be recognised and appreciated by your fellow colleagues,” Aubameyang said.

“This is for everyone at Dortmund and our amazing fans.”

Aubameyang, who is also the African Footballer of the Year, scored 25 goals and made six assists in 31 league games as Dortmund finished runners-up in the Bundesliga.

He also scored 39 goals in all competitions last season and becomes the first African to win the VDV award since its inception in 1998.

He is also the only African named in the Bundesliga team of the year.

Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are joined in the ‘Team of the Season’ by team-mate Mats Hummels, who will join Bayern Munich this summer.

The 2015/16 Bundesliga team of the season:

Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich)

Defenders: Mats Hummels (Bayern Munich), Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), David Alaba (Bayern Munich), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich)

Midfielders: Thomas Müller (Bayern Munich), Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Dortmund), Douglas Costa (Bayern Munich), Arturo Vidal (Bayern Munich)

Strikers: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Dortmund)

BBC

Aubameyang Named Bundesliga Player Of The Year

"I Don"t Know Why Yaya Toure Was So Angry"- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has said he is nonplussed as to why Yaya Touré was so angry about the Borussia Dortmund player being voted the Africa player of the year last week. Touré hit out at the decision, saying it was “pathetic”, “indecent” and brought “shame to Africa”.

Aubameyang is back with Dortmund now as they prepare for the restart of the Bundesliga and, talking to Sport Bild, he said: “I really don’t know why he said that at all. I am not going to get angry about it and for me it is already an old story, gone. It simply does not interest me.”

The Gabon striker received 143 points to Touré’s 136 with Swansea’s André Ayew finishing third with 112. Touré appeared to congratulate his rivals on stage, saying he was “disappointed” but adding that Aubameyang had “been doing brilliantly well this year”.

However, the Manchester City midfielder later seemed to suggest the voting had been unfair given his country’s success at the Nations Cup. “I’m very disappointed. It’s sad to see Africa react this way, that they don’t think African achievements are important,” he told the French radio station RFI.

“I think this is what brings shame to Africa, because to act in that way is indecent. But what can we do about it? Us Africans, we don’t show that Africa is important in our eyes. We favour more what’s abroad than our own continent. That is pathetic.”

Aubameyang wants to focus on Dortmund and the Bundesliga, with his side second, eight points behind Bayern Munich. “We will certainly not give up without a fight and all is not lost yet. We know that it will be very difficult to stop Bayern winning the league but nothing is impossible,” he said.

"I Don"t Know Why Yaya Toure Was So Angry"- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

African Player of the Year awards is biased against Anglophone countries, says GFA boss Kwesi Nyantakyi

Ghana FA President Kwesi Nyantakyi admits CAF must revise its way of awarding the Best African player following the disappointment of Andre Ayew at the recently held African Player of the Year awards gala.

The Ghana forward was gutted not to have been handed the award for the first team with Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang being handed the prestigious gong instead.

Aubameyang’s accession to the throne as king of African football has since sharply divided opinions – with some, mostly Ghanaians – feeling Andre Ayew should have been given the award for especially his sterling performance at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations where Ghana came second to Cote d’Ivoire.

It however appears the Gabonese’s excellent form for Borussia Dortmund in the year under review was strong enough to sway the votes in his favour at the expense of Yaya Toure who also led Ivory Coast to Nations Cup glory in Equatorial Guinea.

The CAF African Player of the Year awards have been dominated by players from Francophone Africa with 17 out of the 24 editions won by players from French-speaking African countries with only 7 from Anglophone countries.

And this, Nyantakyi feels, is a biased trend which favours Francophone countries and must be looked at.

“I strongly believe that factors that have accounted for this worrying trend must be critically looked at,” he told the Ghanaian Times newspaper.

“Sincerely, I was hugely optimistic for Ayew, but surprisingly, he placed third outside my expectations – and I am really disappointed.

“Based on his performance with the national team and club side, I believe he deserved to win.”

Nyantakyi who also serves on CAF’s Executive Committee adds that the feature in Francophone African countries where there is wider access to major European leagues as against the situation of pay-per-view in Anglophone countries may be a major contributory factor.

“This gives a lot of exposure to their players,” he said.

“The situation is however different in Ghana and most Anglophone countries where access to major European Leagues is based on pay-per-view.

“It should not be enough justification for the awards to roll the way of Francophone countries all the time.”

African Player of the Year awards is biased against Anglophone countries, says GFA boss Kwesi Nyantakyi

Aubameyang does not deserve value-less top CAF award, says Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan

Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan is stoking further controversy in the raging debate over whether Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang deserved to win the African Player of the Year award by insisting Andre Ayew should have been handed the gong instead.

The Gabonese star was handed the top individual prize on the continent at a ceremony held in Abuja, Nigeria on Thursday night.

Aubameyang’s triumph has sharply divided opinions as to whether he truly deserves the award despite his hugely impressive statistics at club level.

Yaya Toure who was hoping to have landed his fifth consecutive gong also expressed his disappointment over being overlooked, so did Andre Ayew who was hoping to be the first Ghanaian to win the award in over two decades since his father, Abedi Pele clinched the accolade.

And Asamoah Gyan who endured a similar experience when he was overlooked in 2010 in favour of Samuel Eto’o has stated blankly the Borussia Dortmund striker does not deserve the award.

“Aubameyang doesn’t deserve the African Footballer of the Year award,” he said.

“He is a very very good striker and has did well for his club last year. But he did very little at the Africa Cup of Nations.

“I think Andre Ayew did very well at the Africa Cup of Nations and he also excelled with his two clubs so it is very disastrous not to name such a person.

“This has happened to me twice – one in 2010 and 2014. I don’t value the award again.

“CAF should tell us that the award is meant for players playing big clubs in Europe. National team & AFCON don’t matter again.

“Even though CAF snubbed me in 2011 & 2014, I still believe that I’ve won two African Best. They’re killing African Football.”

Aubameyang does not deserve value-less top CAF award, says Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan

Andre Ayew latest to question criteria for top CAF award following shocking triumph of Gabonese star

Ghana forward Andre Ayew is the latest to question the decision of CAF to hand the African Player of the Year award to Gabonese star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The Borussia Dortmund striker made history by being the first player from Gabon to win the biggest individual accolade on the continent at a ceremony held in Abuja on Thursday night.

Aubameyang’s strong club form and pretty much ok stint with the national team – scoring 24 goals in 23 games within the period under review – was considered good enough to hand him the award against the likes of Ivorian star Yaya Toure and Andre Ayew who both played in the finals of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

Toure had already expressed his disappointment of not being handed the award for the fifth successive time and now Ayew, who plays his club football at Swansea City is also demanding a clearer criteria in arriving at who is handed the top individual prize.

“They need to explain the criteria that they use to choose the winner of this trophy,” he told L’Equipe.

“I think that playing the final game of the African cup of nations should be considered. I played this game and so did Yaya. I thought that the winner will be one of us.

“Aubameyang is a friend of mine. He made a great performance this year. He scored a lot of important goals but Yaya and me, we don’t have the same position that’s why we have less goals compared to him.

“However, I think that the Africans should consider their competitions before choosing the winner. To be honest, I think that the winner should have been me or Yaya.”

Andre Ayew latest to question criteria for top CAF award following shocking triumph of Gabonese star

Gabon goes gaga as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang returns with CAF African Player of the Year award

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was given a hero’s welcome on his return to Gabon fresh from being named the CAF African Footballer of the Year on Thursday.

The Dortmund striker was greeted by scored of people at the international airport in Libreville.

Aubameyang waved and displayed his award to the cheering crowd as he was driven away to the Presidential Villa to meet up with President Ali Bongo.

Aubameyang was recieved by President Ali Bongo

The 26-year-old made history by being the first Gabonese to be crowned the King of African.

Aubameyang achieved this feat against Ivorian superstar Yaya Toure and influential Ghana forward Andre Ayew at a ceremony held in Abuja on Thursday.

The former Saint Etienne striker who is wanted at English club Arsenal is expected to fly back to his base in Germany on Friday night.

Gabon goes gaga as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang returns with CAF African Player of the Year award