Why Enyeama deserves to be Africa’s best player for 2014

Hours till Thursday evening(this evening) when the winner of the 2014 African Footballer of the Year will be announced in Lagos and the competition between the three contenders; Vincent Enyeama, Yaya Toure and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been followed with opinions and thoughts of why one is better than the other and reasons why another does not deserve to be in the list in the first place.

2013 winner, Yaya Toure heavily favoured to retain the award, majorly for his role in Manchester City’s 2013/2014 EPL which besides that, he didn’t really do much for his individual record.

In the year under review, Enyeama has done more for club and country and individually and for his personal record.

Having kept record clean sheets for Lille LOSC in the Ligue 1, the 32 year-old’s saves made the top five in the whole of the 2014 season.

Apart from not winning the league, he helped his club qualify to a third place finish, thereby qualifying them for the UEFA Champions League after a long absence.

At the 2014 World Cup, Enyeama ranked amongst the top five best players of the tournament prior to the last 16 stage before Nigeria was knocked out by France.

Enyeama kept the post for the Super Eagles against Iran, Bosnia and Argentina; putting up sublime saves for the country in its first World Cup win since 1998 against the Bosnians and in the heroic loss to Argentina.

The 2003 CAF Champions League winner recently was voted the best goalkeeper in France fir the 2013/2014 season and also the best Nigerian footballer for the same year.

Toure may have helped his country Cote D’Ivoire to the 2015 African Cup of Nations in Equatorial, a tournament which Nigeria failed to qualify for. Him being with the Elephants, they did not do very well at the last World Cup.

Strong competitor, Vincent Enyeama is only seen as less deserving of the award in some quarters, albeit because he plays in the French league which is not regarded as one of best in Europe.

Former Green Eagles Segun Odegbami believes the Ivorian deserves the award the more.

"Toure has been exceptional and deserves the award. My thought is that he should win.’’

Adding that: "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.”