The topmost individual award on the African continent has seen numerous footballing greats honoured with the prestigious accolade over the past years.

The likes of the Abedi Pele from Ghana winning the debut award back in 1992 with Samuel Eto’o Fils toppling all by winning the award four times.

In all there have been 16 winners from 10 different countries since the inaugural awards back in 1992.

It remains a mystery of the Awards that former Super Eagles’ Captain Austin Jay Jay Okocha is not among the 16 previous winners. Many still feel he was good enough for it in 2004, when he was the Most Valuable Player of the AFCON.

The likes of Stephen Appiah, Micheal Essien have all missed out on this award considering the exploits for both club and country in the peak of their career.

However today will see another best footballer of the year be announced evening at the Accra International Conference Centre in Ghana at exactly 16:00 GMT.

PREVIOUS WINNERS

1992: Abedi Pele (Ghana)

1993: Rashidi Yekini (Nigeria)

1994: Emmanuel Amuneke (Nigeria)

1995: George Weah (Liberia)

1996: Nwankwo Kanu (Nigeria)

1997: Victor Ikpeba (Nigeria)

1998: Mustapha Hadji (Morocco)

1999: Nwankwo Kanu (Nigeria)

2000: Patrick Mboma (Cameroon)

2001: El-Hadji Diouf (Senegal)

2002: El-Hadji Diouf (Senegal)

2003: Samuel Eto’o Fils (Cameroon)

2004: Samuel Eto’o Fils (Cameroon)

2005: Samuel Eto’o Fils (Cameroon)

2006: Didier Drogba (Cote d’Ivoire)

2007: Frederic Kanoute (Mali)

2008: Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo)

2009: Didier Drogba (Cote d’Ivoire)

2010: Samuel Eto’o Fils (Cameroon)

2011: Yaya Toure (Cote d’Ivoire)

2012: Yaya Toure (Cote d’Ivoire)

2013: Yaya Toure (Cote d’Ivoire)

2014: Yaya Toure (Cote d’Ivoire)

2015: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon)

2016: Riyad Mahrez (Algeria)