Yaya Toure Admits Super Eagles Legend Mikel Obi Should Have Won 2013 CAF POTY Award

• Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure won the 2013 CAF Men's Player of the Year ahead of John Obi Mikel
• Mikel has been vocal they he was robbed of the award, claiming he was told that he won before the event
• The two midfielders have jointly spoken about it, with Toure admitting that Obi deserved the award

Yaya Toure has opened up on his 2013 CAF Men's Player of the Year victory over John Obi Mikel, admitting that the Nigerian midfielder also deserved the award.

Mikel Obi captained Nigeria to the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, months after playing a pivotal role in helping Chelsea win their first-ever UEFA Champions League trophy.

However, Toure won the African Footballer of the Year Award over Mikel at the ceremony held in Lagos in 2013, sparking controversies that he was robbed of the award.

Toure admits Mikel deserved award

12 years after the incident, Mikel maintains that he was unfairly denied the award, as he was informed before he travelled from London to Lagos that he had won it.

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The two legendary African midfielders have shared the stage for the first time since then and have clarified the events surrounding the ceremony on the Obi One Podcast.

“Were you told you were going to win it before you came? Because I was told the same that I was going to win it as well,” Mikel Obi asked.

“You deserve it, Obi, to be honest. Because the league, the season was perfect… you were instrumental,” Toure responded.

The former Manchester City midfielder admitted he was not informed that he had won the award and only showed up as a form of support for an African event.

“I was told nothing,” he said on whether he was told he had won before the event or not. “I said Obi deserves it at that time. If it was me or him, it would be fine.”

“But my attending, that was the question, like if we are not going there, who's going to support? We have seen Europeans supporting their own events, we Africans want to do that, we have to unite and go together,” he concluded.

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Toure won the award again in 2014, making it four consecutive wins and tied with Cameroonian legend Samuel Eto'o for the most African Best award won with four, as noted by CAF Online.

The former Barcelona midfielder is one of the greatest African footballers of all time, winning every trophy possible, including the treble with Barcelona in 2009.

Despite Obi and others narrowly losing the award, Nigeria is second on the list of countries with the most wins, seven, behind Cameroon, which has produced winners 11 times.

4 Nigerians robbed of CAF POTY

Legit.ng analysed four Nigerians who were robbed of CAF POTY Award including Mikel Obi who lost it to Yaya Toure in 2013 at an event held in Lagos, Nigeria.

Austin Jay-Jay Okocha was also deserving of the award in 1998 for his performance at the FIFA World Cup, but lost out to Moroccan midfielder Mustapha Hadji.

Source: Legit.ng