MIKEL CLINCHES GOAL NIGERIA PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD
It’s been an eventful year for Chelsea midfielder Mikel Obi, he scooped major football awards this year, won the Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria, scored his first English Premier League goal for Chelsea after eight years and then capped it with 2014 World Cup qualification. The Nigerian international has for the second time in the year won the Goal Nigeria Player of the Year Award; courtesy of readers of goal.com.ng website.
He won the title ahead of Vincent Enyeama, Emmanuel Emenike, Victor Moses and Godfrey Oboabona. The Chelsea man polled 49 per cent of votes cast to win the title for the second time after being voted winner in 2012. He finished ahead of compatriots Enyeama (28.6%), Emenike (13.2%), Moses (6.4%) and Oboabona (2.8%).
“It’s an honour to win this award again and I’m very happy to know that my people, my Nigerian fans, support me and love what I’m doing.” He said
On his biggest award this year, “I think if I had to pick one, I’d say winning the Africa Cup of Nations – that was really big for me and for the country because we’ve waited for almost 20 years to win it again”
He continued, “Going into that tournament, I don’t think many people really gave us a chance of winning it but we had the belief that we’ve got a very good team and a very good manager.
The way the team has changed in the past couple of years, especially with the younger players, we were hungry for success. I think winning the Africa Cup of Nations was the big one for me.”
PHOTOS FROM THE LAUNCH OF GOAL.COM NIGERIA
The world's biggest and most popular football website Goal.com launched its Nigeria edition at the Oriental hotel, Lagos on Friday 30th March.
Present at the occasion were Chief Editor, Goal.com Nigeria, Ololade Adewuyi, Dan Price, Business Development Manager Perform, Deacon Ayo Ositelu, Editorial Board member The Guardian, Daryn Wober, Managing Director Global Business Development Perform, Tokunbo Adodo, Marketing Manager Non-Alcoholic Drinks, Nigeria Breweries, Ita Bassey, Senior Brand Manager Gulder, and Olayiwola Onafowokan, Head of Value Added Service, Etisalat Nigeria.