Cameroon striker Patrick Mboma has won the African Footballer of the Year award, finishing ahead of three compatriots in the voting, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on Saturday. Mboma, who plays for Italian club Parma, pipped Laurent Etame Mayer, Samuel Eto'o and Geremi Njitap Fotso to the 2000 title in the annual poll.

All four were members of Cameroon's African Nations Cup winning team in February and also played in the under-23 side, which won the Olympic Gold medal at the Sydney Games in September.
Last year's winner Nwankwo Kanu of Nigeria finished fifth in the poll, conducted among members of CAF's press and technical committees.

African Footballer of the Year winners

1970: Salif Keita (St Etienne and Mali)
1971: Ibrahim Sunday (Asante Kotoko and Ghana)
1972: Cherif Souleymane (Hafia and Guinea)
1973: Tshimen Bwanga (TP Mazembe and Zaire)
1974: Paul Moukila (CARA Brazzaville and Congo)
1975: Ahmed Faras (Mohammedia and Morocco)
1976: Roger Milla (Canon Yaounde and Cameroon)
1977: Tarak Dhiab (Esperance and Tunisia)
1978: Karim Abdoul Razak (Asante Kotoko and Ghana)
1979: Thomas Nkono (Canon Yaounde and Cameroon)
1980: Jean Manga Onguene (Canon Yaounde and Cameroon)
1981: Lakhdar Belloumi (GCR Mascara and Algeria)
1982: Thomas Nkono (Espanol and Cameroon)
1983: Mahmoud Al Khatib (Al Ahli and Egypt)
1984: Theophile Abega (Toulouse and Cameroon)
1985: Mohamed Timoumi (Royal Armed Forces and Morocco)
1986: Badou Ezaki (Real Mallorca and Morocco)
1987: Rabah Madjer (FC Porto and Algeria)
1988: Kalusha Bwalya (Cercle Bruges and Zambia)
1989: George Weah (Monaco and Liberia)
1990: Roger Milla (St Denis and Cameroon)

1991: Abedi Pele Ayew (Marseille and Ghana)
1992: Abedi Pele Ayew (Marseille and Ghana)
1993: Abedi Pele Ayew (Lyon and Ghana)

1994: George Weah (Paris St Germain and Liberia) and Emmanuel Amunike (Sporting Lisbon and Nigeria)
1995: George Weah (AC Milan and Liberia)
1996: Nwankwo Kanu (Inter Milan and Nigeria)
1997: Victor Ikpeba (Monaco and Nigeria)
1998: Mustapha Hadji (Deportivo Coruna and Morocco)
1999: Nwankwo Kanu (Arsenal and Nigeria)
2000: Patrick Mboma (Parma and Cameroon)