Former Man City midfielder Yaya Toure has admitted that John Mikel Obi deserved to win the Africa Player of the Year award in 2013.
The Cote d’Ivoire legend beat Mikel to the award despite leading Chelsea to the Champions League, and winning the Nations Cup with Nigeria.
However, Yaya Toure was named the Africa player of the year, winning the award for the third consecutive time, drawing widespread criticisms from Nigerians.
12 years later, he has now admitted that Mikel deserved to win the award in an interview with the former Chelsea midfielder on his podcast show.
“Were you told you were going to win it before you came? Because I was told the same,” Mikel Obi asked.
Toure said: “You deserved it, Obi, to be honest, because in the league, the season was perfect. Nigeria won the AFCON, and you were instrumental in this period.
“The thing is, I was told nothing [by CAF] and I said Obi deserved it at the time. If it were me or him [Obi Mikel], it would have been fine, but the big question was me attending the ceremony. If we don’t go there, who’s going to support?
“We’ve seen the Europeans supporting their own cause, their own events, and their own things. We Africans want to do that, but we have to make sure we unite and we go together.”
Toure enjoyed a phenomenal career for club, and country winning the Champions League, Premier League, while leading Cote d’Ivoire to the Nations Cup trophy in 2015.
He also won numerous individual awards including African Player of year award four times to mark a remarkable career.
In 2023, Toure was named as assistant coach of the Saudi Arabia national team, to join the staff of his former manager at Manchester City Roberto Mancini.
