FirstTouch’s Top 10 Male Players of 2019

The Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year Lionel Messi poses with his family at the end of The Best FIFA Football Awards 2019 at the Teatro alla Scala on September 23, 2019 in Milan, Italy.

(Sept. 22, 2019 - Source: Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images Europe)

In no particular order, they are the following;

1. Lionel Messi

As we have learnt in the past decade or so, it's never a top players' list if Messi is not on it. Aside from his reputation, the Argentine captain actually deserved to be on the FirstTouch's best male players for the year 2019. Barcelona may have crashed out of the UEFA Champions League in the semi-finals after capitulating in the second leg, but the 32-year-old almost single-handedly carried them that far. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner famously bagged a brace in Barca's 3-0 first-leg win over eventual champions Liverpool and was Europe's top goalscorer with 36 for the season as Blaugurana also retained the La Liga title. Messi was named the 2019 FIFA Best Men's Player of the Year, a 6th such accolade for the Barca captain.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo

Talk about presence! The Italian Serie A certainly felt the arrival of the other five-time Ballon d'Or winner during the course of the year; both financially and in footballing terms. Age has proven to be just a number for the former Real Madrid striker and the all-time leading Champions League goalscorer as he bagged 21 goals in his debut Serie A season. After adding a Scudetto to his illustrious trophy cabinet, the 34-year-old also led Portugal to an inaugural UEFA Nations League title and reached a remarkable 700 career goals in the year, including 99 for his country as of 17 November.

3. Virgil Van Dijk

Mountain man, that's how some refer to the Dutch captain. The 28-year-old was just that for Liverpool, a mountain stuck in front of their goal. He was a central figure in the Reds' camp as they clinched a 6th UEFA Champions League title and their first silverware since 2012. Liverpool had a league-high 21 clean-sheets in their run up to finish second in the Premier League, a point behind champions Man City. He may have been the losing captain in the UEFA Nations League final but his performances building up to the finale was on show for everyone to see. Being named the 2019 UEFA Male Player of the Year was simply a befitting reward to an excellent player who also took home the PFA Player of the Year accolade.

4. Kylian Mbappe

Once upon a time a teenage prodigy, Kylian Mbappe is now dominating the big game, year after year. The 2018 World Cup winner continued his blistering goal-scoring form as he bagged 33 for the season, just 3 behind Messi in the whole of Europe. The 20-year-old's goals helped PSG retain the French Ligue 1 title while he also claimed the individual prize as the league's best marksman with 33 goals. Any chance that the Parisians have on challenging for the 2020 Champions League crown, also heavily hinges on the French international's goals.

Sadio Mane of Liverpool in action during the Group C match of the UEFA Champions League between Liverpool and FK Crvena Zvezda at Anfield on October 24, 2018 in Liverpool, United Kingdom.

(Oct. 23, 2018 - Source: Michael Regan/Getty Images Europe)

5. Sadio Mane

On record speaking to BeIN sport, Former Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger revealed that the Senegalese international was his preferred candidate for the 2019 Ballon d'Or prize. To add on to his point, Wenger praised Mane as an "efficient" player. Fellow candidate, Eden Hazard also made a similar comment later on. The 27-year-old was the joint top goal scorer in the Premier League as Liverpool finished second and bagged a total of 27 goals as Jurgen Klopp's men clinched Europe's top crown. Internationally, Sadio also helped Senegal come within touching distance of their first major title as they narrowly lost 0-1 to Algeria in the 2019 AFCON final. The flying forward had scored 4 goals in 7 matches for his country in the process.

6. Raheem Sterling

Don't be fooled by him not taking the golden boot prize. The England international has become somewhat of a goal-scoring wild card under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. Sterling, 24, was involved in a total of a second league-high 27 goals, with 17 goals and 10 assists, as City retained the Premier League title. Aside from his involvement at club level which helped the blue-half of Manchester secure a historic treble, Sterling also proved handy for Gareth Southgate and England who made the UEFA Nations League semi-finals.

7. Frenkie De Jong

The 22-year-old may just be the biggest midfield talent in Europe right now. Endowed with a rare ability to tirelessly labor throughout the 90 minutes, tackling and picking offensive passes, Frenkie became central for the young Ajax side that left everybody talking. He helped the Dutch club to win a domestic treble and most famously reach the Champions League semi-finals. With De Jong, who was also a key figure for the Netherlands as they reached the UEFA Nations League finals, it's not so much about goals and assists, just pure grit, passion and precision in the middle of the park.

8. Mohamed Salah

FIFA FIFPro Men's World 11 Players of the Year (L-R) Alisson, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo Vieira, Lionel Messi, Frenkie de Jong, Eden Hazard, Kylian Mbappe, Luka Modric, Virgil van Dijk and Matthijs de Ligt pose for a photo during The Best FIFA Football Awards 2019 on September 23, 2019 in Milan, Italy.

(Sept. 22, 2019 - Source: Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images Europe)

Repeating a crazily successful year as 2018 was always going to be a mountain climb for the Egyptian. Except you're a combination of Messi and Ronaldo, no one breaks as many records as Salah did in 2018, year-on-year, or repeatedly walks away with that bucket of awards. Just retaining the Premier League golden boot in 2019 was enough evidence that the Liverpool man is not a one-time wonder. The 27-year-old was unfortunate to see the hosting Pharaohs crash out of the Africa Cup of Nations in the round-of-16 but a Champions League win with the Reds could have been enough consolation.

9. Eden Hazard

It would have been extremely difficult for the football artist to miss our list of the top players. The 28-year artist to miss our list of the top players. The 28-year old may be taking time to establish himself as a Real Madrid player, but still owned the better part of 2019 in Chelsea colors. He was directly involved in a league-high 31 goals for the London club as he scored and assisted 16 and 15 times respectively. In the process, the Belgian captain helped Maurizio Sarri's men finish 3rd in the Premier League, win the Europa League title and got his big-money move to the Spanish capital.

10. Marc Andre Ter Stegen

The Germany international is arguably the best living goalkeeper and 2019 was no different. Reflex like superman saves for Barcelona and sweeper keeper moves ensured he retained his place as an internet sensation. It doesn't very much help his cause that Joachim Löw prefers veteran Manuel Neuer in goal for Germany or that Barca failed to win Europe's top prize, but his excellence is something that avid football fans of the game can never debate about. He made 85 saves for Barca in the 2018/19 season, averaging a remarkable 2.43 saves per game.

Do the FIFA POTY Nominees hint at a new era?

The national team captains, coaches, fans and selected journalists casted their votes and they have been tallied. After a decade of dominance by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo with each claiming five individual honors for the world’s best football player, we are witnessing some new trends across most of the categories. Indeed, I cannot deny the Messi and Ronaldo are among the unique breed of footballers that this world will ever know but it was becoming a little too boring. Here are top three new features of the “new age” I am most excited about.

Timely reminder that football ingenuity can’t be reduced to a simple goal statistic

Mohamed Salah of Egypt celebrates with teammate Marwan Mohsen after scoring his team's first goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group A match between Saudia Arabia and Egypt at Volgograd Arena on June 25, 2018 in Volgograd, Russia.

(June 24, 2018 - Source: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Europe)

One of the reasons why Ronaldo and Messi had not left the podium since 2008 is that they are goal scoring machines and they are surrounded by other great players in the biggest of clubs which almost always win trophies. For almost all the years these two won the FIFA Ballon d’Or Award now known as FIFA Best Award, it was given to the one whose club had claimed the UEFA Champions League trophy or scored the most goals.The likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Andres Iniesta, Antoine Griezmann, Xavi, Manuel Neuer and Franck Ribery were well in their right victims of the Ronaldo-Messi era. Great football talents who happen to have been born at the wrong time as many people would say.

The good news for the first time, we see a player like Luka Modric making the top three list, a complete midfielder who is hardly on the scoresheet but almost inspired his country Croatia, to their first ever FIFA World Cup triumph, losing to France in the 2018 final in Russia. The 32-year-old  did win the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid in May, bagged the Golden Ball for the best player at the 2018 World Cup finals but quite remarkably and unusually pipped Ronaldo to the 2018 UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Award. A sign that the Ronaldo and Messi era could very soon be behind us.

Egyptian king, Mohamed Salah deservedly made it to this year’s top three with Ronaldo completing that list and Messi missing out. Salah broke the scoring records in England, banging in 32 goals in a 38 match season and helped Liverpool reach the Champions League final. He also won all the individual awards in England but making the list without winning any major team trophy emphasises this change I am trying so hard to describe.

Unfamiliar but familiar faces in goal

Kasper Schmeichel of Denmark reacts during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Round of 16 match between 1st Group D and 2nd Group C at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on July 1, 2018 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.

(June 30, 2018 - Source: Francois Nel/Getty Images Europe)

If I were to ask for the names of the three top goalkeepers in the world, most certainly, the likes of Gianluigi Buffon, Manuel Neuer and David De Gea would frequent on most people’s list. They are really goalkeepers of some of the elite and acclaimed football clubs in the world. Quite honestly, they are great and probably deserve the naming. But this year, the voters decided on some talented individuals between the sticks who have not received the deserved praise over the years. Kasper Schmeichel of Leicester City in the Premier League and Denmark, Hugo Lloris who captained France to the 2018 World Cup title and Thibaut Courtois, the best goalkeeper in Russia 2018 make up the three men shortlist. Does this signal an element of enhanced objectivity in choosing players for these awards, without necessarily looking at the crest of their clubs or their national colors?

We just love that Senegalese fans are nominated for one of the awards

You cannot really blame us for singling out exceptional contributors to the game from the beloved continent of Africa. That’s what FirstTouch Africa aims to bring the global stage anyway, telling the untold stories of invaluable significance, steering communities forward.

Senegal fans enjoy the pre match atmosphere prior to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group H match between Japan and Senegal at Ekaterinburg Arena on June 24, 2018 in Yekaterinburg, Russia.

(June 23, 2018 - Source: Clive Rose/Getty Images Europe)

The Lions of Teranga football fans are part of the nominees for the FIFA Fan Award after their resounding efforts to keep Russia clean at the world cup finals. These guys literally picked up all litter after each and every game they cheered their heroes on, even after the bitterest of games that saw Senegal exit the tournament in the group stages because they had more yellow cards than the second placed Japan in Group H. Even the Japanese fans also headlined Russia for the tidy civility acts and are nominated together with Senegal as a unit.

Below, is a full list for all the nominees.The winners will be announced on 24 September at Royal Festival Hall in London.

 

 

 

 

Men's player

Cristiano Ronaldo - Juventus & Portugal

Luka Modric - Real Madrid & Croatia

Mohamed Salah - Liverpool & Egypt

Women's player

Ada Hegerberg - Lyon & Norway

Dzsenifer Marozsan - Lyon & Germany

Marta - Orlando Pride & Brazil

Men's coach

Zlatko Dalic - Croatia

Didier Deschamps - France

Zinedine Zidane - former Real Madrid

Women's coach

Reynald Pedros - Lyon

Asako Takakura - Japan

Sarina Wiegman - Netherlands

Goalkeeper

Thibaut Courtois - Real Madrid & Belgium

Hugo Lloris - Tottenham & France

Kasper Schmeichel - Leicester & Denmark

Puskas Award

Gareth Bale (Real Madrid) v Liverpool

Denis Cheryshev (Russia) v Croatia

Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (AEK) v Olympiacos

Giorgian De Arrascaeta (Cruzeiro) -v America MG

Riley McGree (Newcastle Jets) v Melbourne City

Lionel Messi (Argentina) v Nigeria

Benjamin Pavard (France) v Argentina

Ricardo Quaresma (Portugal) v Iran

Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid ) v Juventus

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) v Everton

Fan Award

Sebastian Carrera (Deportes Puerto Montt, Chile)

Peru fans

Japan and Senegal fans

FT French Ligue 1 Preview: PSG must win the UEFA Champions League to keep Neymar

The Brazilian sensation left Barcelona in a bid to step out of Messi’s shadow and achieve his goals of winning the Ballon d’Or at the French giants Paris-Saint Germain. He hoped that the club’s recruitment policy would give him an edge when the tournament commences and that they would be able to recruit the best players who would be able to compete at the highest level. Last season, PSG failed to make it past Real Madrid in the round-of-16. This year, they will have to do better than that if they are to stand a chance to fend off interest from the likes of Real Madrid in keeping their star player at the club. In this feature story, we look at how the club can be able to win the title.

Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid and Neymar of PSG embrace at half time during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 First Leg match between Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain at Bernabeu on February 14, 2018 in Madrid, Spain.

(Feb. 13, 2018 - Source: Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images Europe)

The recruitment of the Italian and Juventus legend, Gianluigi Buffon to beef up their goalkeeper position is nothing but a positive signing for the club. The legend brings his vast amount of experience to a squad that looked out of character when they were dispatched by Real Madrid last year. PSG needed a commanding number 1, and they have got their man who will organise his defence and hopefully prevent the best players in the world from scoring past him. Apart from that, he also brings his winning mentality. Buffon won the last 7 Serie A titles in a row with Juve and is also a 2006 FIFA World Cup winner. He has been around for a long time and knows how to compete. The UEFA Champions League title is a trophy that has eluded him, and he will be as hungry as Neymar to win it this year.

Football is a team sport. Neymar cannot win the trophy on his own. He will need his teammates to bring their A game to the table if they really want him to stay at the Parc des Princes. This means that players like Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani have to bring their World Cup form to Paris and help Neymar push for the title. The former is a teenage sensation who shined at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia but was went hiding when PSG faced Real Madrid in the 2017/18 season. He should be looking to grow from that experience and carry his form into the coming season. Cavani was also at the focal point of Uruguay’s success at the tournament before picking up an injury that kept him out of the squad that was eliminated by France. The whole team has to be at their best this season and play to Neymar’s strengths if they want him to lead them to European glory.

Neymar of Brazil reacts after a missed opportunity during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Quarter Final match between Brazil and Belguim at Kazan Arena on July 6, 2018 in Kazan, Russia.

(July 5, 2018 - Source: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images Europe)

There are rumours that PSG wants to sign N’Golo Kante from Chelsea this season. The 27-year old is a midfield destroyer who has been at the heart of successes of the best teams in recent years. He first led his club Leicester to the EPL title in 2015/16 before winning it again the following year with Chelsea. This year, he was trusted with the defensive responsibilities in the French team that lifted the 2018 FIFA World Cup trophy. N’Golo Kante is famous for stopping Messi, arguably the world’s best player, in his tracks and preventing Argentina from making it to the quarter-final stage. PSG need a player like Kante who could strike a partnership with Marco Verratti in the spine of the French team and protect the backline. Whether the club will actually get to sign him from the English side remains to be seen, but it is clear that they would stand a better chance of winning the most prized asset in European club football if they have the defensive midfielder on their books.

Sometimes a good run in the tournament requires some bit of luck. The draw did not favour the club in the previous season. PSG were unfortunate to face the defending champions in the round-of-16 in the 2017/18 season . This year, they would want to avoid the biggest teams in the tournament at the early stage as they build momentum. However, some argue that you have to beat the best teams in the competition to be called the best. What do you think that PSG has to do to keep Neymar at the club after this season?

Ronaldo once again won the Portuguese player of the year award

In the wake of Real Madrid’s 6-2 win where Ronaldo scored 4 goals, the Portuguese forward has since been awarded the best Portuguese player again. He did not fail to mention the players who he owes much for the award after a record season with Madrid where he won 5 trophies in 2017 including his fifth Ballon d’Or and the second FIFA award. He was voted the best player by fans, coaches, and a jury that is led by former Portugal number 7, Luis Figo. This should probably the smallest accolade that he has won considering the caliber of the player and what he has achieved as an individual at club level. Nonetheless, it is something to add to his Resume and he could not make his agent Jorge Mendez anymore proud. Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva and Sporting goalkeeper, Rui Patricio came second and third respectively.

Ronaldo Gears Up For UCL

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 300th La Liga goal in a 3-1 win against Getafe. The striker scored 2 goals after Gareth Bale had scored the opener. Portillo scored the consolation goal for Getafe as he placed a 65th minute penalty beyond Keylor Navas. Ronaldo won the man of the match award ahead of a PSG test who are still moaning over the loss of their star player Neymar who got injured in their game against Marseille. The season for the Portuguese looked like it would be one of his worst worst as he was not scoring as many goals as usual but his performances in the last couple of games prove that the player is geared and ready for a title push in the last stage of the season. Can he inspire Madrid to a 3rd Champions League in a row?

The Legacy of African Football

Introduction

For many years, the African continent has been described as the “dark continent” because of its myriad of challenges such as civil wars, malnutrition, poor governance amongst many other reasons. That narrative is slowly changing, as Africa the has become the second fastest growing economic region. Just as citizens are working together to bring out the much desired change in Africa, football stars have been no different. Coming from humble and sometimes difficult backgrounds and then going on to bag big monies in Europe or elsewhere, they hardly forget their roots. Here is a list of some of the icons who have left their mark on the continent.

Didier Drogba

Who else to begin with but the Chelsea man who scored more than 100 English Premier League goals and won them their only UEFA Champions League trophy in 2012. He certainly was a fan favorite in London but even more adored in the West African nation. Even though he failed to win the Afcon title for the Ivory Coast, he did give them a lot to cheer about. Drogba once used his influence to broker a ceasefire between rebel fighters and the government by advocating for an African Cup of Nations qualifier to be held in the rebel town of Bouake.

He established the Didier Drogba Foundation to improve the health and education of children in Africa. Didier once pledged to use all his endorsement revenues for charitable causes beginning with the $3 million he got from Pepsi. He used it to set up a hospital in Abidjan in 2009.

Michael Essien

The midfield maestro who was loved by Mourinho for his resilience and strong tackles on the pitch was truly a “black star” in Ghana, giving light and hope to thousands. He had a very successful career in Europe playing for Chelsea, Real Madrid and AC Millan. The ever smiling Ghanaian set up the Michael Essien Foundation to raise funds to help the less fortunate access basic amenities such as public toilets, health care equipment, libraries and clean drinking water. He is also involved in Reading Goals initiative which seeks to inculcate reading habits in students. In June 2013, Essien organized the “Game of Hope” charity match in Accra which pitted African footballers against other global footballers to raise awareness on the need of peace.

Nwako Kanu

The ex-Arsenal and Nigerian Super Eagles star was such a wonder on the pitch. Standing over 6 ft. tall, he would dance past defenders and surely became a reliable marksman for the Gunners. After escaping a heart scare himself, Kanu opened the Nwako Kanu Heart Foundation in 2000 to assist young children in Nigerian and the rest of Africa to obtain heart surgeries. The UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador’s Foundation has arranged for over 1000 children to travel abroad and get heart surgeries done.

George Weah

Mister George is perhaps the most decorated African player of all time. He really had a great time in Europe where he played for Monaco, PSG, AC Millan, Chelsea and Manchester City. In that period, he won two French titles, 2 Italian Serie A titles, 3 CAF Player of the year awards and the FIFA Ballon d’Or. After being involved in Goodwill ambassadorial work for the UN and UNICEF, Weah began a political career which peaked with him becoming Liberia’s President in a historic election for the country.

Joseph Yobo

The former Everton and Nigerian center-half is probably not as popular as the above four man in football matters but his work off the pitch has been equally beneficial. He started the Joseph Yobo Charity Foundation in Nigeria which has seen over 300 students ranging from primary to university receive educational scholarships. Yobo also set up a football academy in Nigeria’s Ogoni Region.

Conclusion

It may not be all of them but if we are to sum up the legacy of African football legends in a sentence, it would be that of developmental work on the continent. With their contributions and that of other individuals from varied industries, the rising continent of Africa has a bright future that will forever be linked to the game of football..

From king of the pitch to king of a nation: George Weah

“My fellow Liberians, I deeply feel the emotion of all the nation. I measure the importance and the responsibility of the immense task which I embrace today. Change is on.” George Weah tweeted these words on the night of Thursday, 28th of December 2017 as he waltzed into history books once again but now as the first ex-football star to become president of a nation.

Yes, his story is a typical success story of “came from a humble background and then made it in life through hard work and perseverance,” but Mr. Weah is no ordinary successful man. He is idolized in the West African nation as “Mister George.”

The beginning

It all started from Clara Town slum of Monrovia, one of the poorest counties in the nation founded by freed American slaves, Liberia. George was born to William T. Weah, Snr. and Anna Quayeweah but raised mostly by his paternal grandmother. Like any other child with decent opportunities in Africa, he attended middle school at Muslim Congress and Wells Hairston in high school before but at the time, only himself knew that he was firstly a footballer before he was a student. Mister George’s football career started off quickly in the domestic leagues where he won few titles and some personal accolades including the Liberian Premier League title. Sometime during his domestic football career he had to work as a switchboard technician at Liberia Telecommunications to get by in life but his successes would soon catch the attention of Arsene Wenger. He was quickly brought to Monaco by Arsene and then the conquest began.

Football career

The story goes on, the wheels wouldn’t just come off in this man’s illustrious career, there was no stopping him. He went on to win a four major titles in France with Paris St Germain in the 1989-1995 period before moving to Italy. George Weah then bagged two Italian Serie A titles in four years with AC Milan playing alongside Roberto Baggio in the frontline. His European successes were also coupled with dominance in Africa, winning three CAF African Player of the Year titles in 1989, 1994 and 1999 and became the first and up to now, the only African player to have won the coveted Ballon d’Or and FIFA’s World Player of the Year in 1994. He is known for his strength, speed and dribbling ability. Most people remember the goal he scored at Milan against Verona where he dribbled past seven players from his own box until he scored. FIFA described him as the “precursor of the multi-functional strikers of today.” He became popularly known as King George. Mr. Weah’s decorated football career ended with short spells at Chelsea, Manchester City and finally Al-Jazira in UAE in 2003. He was voted Africa’s Player of the century by sport journalists, the same recognition that the Brazilian Pele got for South America and Johan Cruyff for Europe. But the story is only half done. He was always a patriotic, who went back home to Liberia when he won his first CAF award while he was at Monaco to celebrate with his country. Watch what happens next.

Off the pitch

He was always a person of goodwill, even though there was an incident where he broke the Portuguese, Jorge Costa’s nose in the tunnel after a Champions League match at Porto in 1996. He alleged that Jorge had made some racist comments on which he never got any witnesses. George later apologized to Costa but the Portuguese wouldn’t have any of that. He was however named FIFA Fair Player of the year that year and also became UNICEF and UN Goodwill Ambassador later. Back home, Mister George was a President of Junior professionals, a football club that required school attendance for entry. Most of the recruits have gone to play for the national team. In 2016, he partnered with Indian Entrepreneur, Nirav Tripathi in a multi-million deal that would set up global football academies to assist youth in impoverished and emerging nations.

Mr. President

In 2005, George Weah announced his intentions to run for Presidency against the Nobel Peace Prize Winner and Harvard educated, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Some people probably thought he was biting more than he could chew right there. Surprisingly he was leading the race in the first round of elections with 28.3% of the votes. He however eventually lost the presidency to Sirleaf getting 40.6% and his rival 59.4% in the second round of elections where he accused the opposition for voter intimidation and ballot tampering which was brushed aside by the African Union. He humbly took the loss. Weah was always criticized for lacking formal education to govern a nation by opposition leaders, they called him “a babe in woods.” He once replied to the critics in a statement, “With all their education and experience, they have governed this nation for hundreds of years. They have never done anything for the nation.”

After pursuing a business administration degree at DeVry University in Miami, Mister George returned home and successfully campaigned for the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) in Montserrado County senatorial by-election. In 2011, CDC unsuccessfully contested in the elections selecting Weah as the Vice-President with Winston Tubman as the presidential candidate. Three years later, Weah was elected into the Senate after overwhelmingly beating the president’s son, Robert Sirleaf. He became the first international athlete to make to represent a county in the Liberian legislature.

2017 has been the year when it all comes together outside the pitch for Mister George. He is officially the President of Liberia in historic election which saw the first democratic transition of power. He beat Vice President Joseph Boakai by getting 61.5% of the 98% votes counted with Boakai getting 38.5%.

He is the only African player to have won the FIFA World Player of the year in 1995, the Ballon d’Or in the same year and the first ex-football star to lead a nation, his is George Tawlon Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah and this is FirstTouch Football.

Africa’s Best Footballing Moments in 2017

Cameroon wins bragging rights at AFCON 2017

The African cup of nations(AFCON) kicked off in Gabon with 16 finalists battling it out for one prize. Ivory Coast were holders of the trophy heading into the tournament and clearly one of the favorites alongside Gabon, Senegal, Algeria and Egypt. (change nations to reflect thes player changes). These nations are historically revered for their experience and star studded line ups with players lighting up the world’s major football leagues such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Sadio Mane, Riyad Mahrez, and Mo Salah. We also saw some of the continents young starlets getting their feet wet in the competition with the likes of Wilfried Zaha, Keita Balde, and Christian Bassogog getting their AFCON debuts. But ultimately none of that mattered, as it was Cameroon’s time to steal the headlines. Hugo Broos fielded a young side who went past Burkina Faso, Senegal and Egypt to be crowned Africa cup of nations winners for the fifth time. The Indomitable Lions certainly redeemed their big brothers who failed to win a single game in the 2015 tournament. The next African champions are scheduled to be crowned in Cameroon 2019.

North Africans bossed the year

It certainly was the year of the Arabs on the continent who showed signs of revitalizing their place as Africa’s elite. It kicked off with 7 time African Champions, Egypt becoming 1st runners up in the AFCON finals after their latest appearance in the tournament dated back to 2010. Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca then won the CAF Champions League in an all North African final against Egypt’s Al Ahly for the first time in 25 years. The year capped off with North Africans winning 3 of the 5 spots to represent the continent at next year’s World Cup finals in Russia. Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria and Senegal make up the list with notable absentees such as Ghana and Ivory Coast losing out to Egypt and Morocco in the group stages.

The emergence of Mo Salah

What a 2017 it was for Mohamed Salah! The Egyptian arrived at the Merseyside club, Liverpool for a record transfer for an African player of 42 million euros which was then eclipsed by the same club for the signature of Guinean ace, Naby Keita. Mo Salah had scored 34 goals and 24 assists for Roma in the 2015/16 and 2016/17 season, and scarily, his form has only improved. In a league considered the world’s toughest, he has scored 20 goals in all competitions at the half mark of the season, only Harry Kane is above him in the Premier League goals tally and Salah is not even an outright striker, as Klopp usually deploys him on the left side of Liverpool’s front three. His impact also spread to his national team, as he  helped the Pharaohs of Egypt reach the world cup finals for the first time since 1990 and was named BBC’s African Footballer of the year. He is also part of the 3 finalists for the CAF Best Player to be crowned in January 2018 together with teammate Sadio Mane and Pierre Emerick Aubameyang. With such a pedigree, it is understandable when rumors linking Mohamed to clubs like Real Madrid surface.

TP Mazembe gives DRC something to smile about

DRC might be war torn because of the long standing dispute between the controversial president, Joseph Kabila’s government and rebels for the country’s rich mineral resources but its football stars certainly give the citizens something to cherish. The national team did put up a good show at the AFCON finals making it to the knockout stages and also in the world cup qualifiers where they finished second in a group marginally won by Tunisia. The Congolese scored the most goals in these qualifiers more than any other African team. They eventually got some silverware for their all-round performances in the CAF Confederation finals, a tournament for domestic club cup winners on the continent. TP Mazembe beat South Africa’s high flying SuperSport United in a thoroughly entertaining two-legged final to win the cup in two consecutive years. A lot of things might not be right on the continent but football certainly plays a huge role in healing nations.

George Weah wins Liberia’s presidency in a historic democratic election

The only African player to have won the much coveted Ballon d’Or (1995) and FIFA’s award for World Best Male player in the same year, 1 Champions League title, 2 Italian Serie A titles, a Ligue 1 title and now Mr. President! The Liberian is now undoubtedly one of the most influential men in football history. You don’t want to miss this full feature about Mister George here on FT Football.

Special

Ronaldo equals Messi’s record

The Portuguese star beat Lionel Messi and Neymar to the 2017 Ballon d’Or award equaling Messi’s record of 5 recognitions as the best player in the world. Christiano Ronaldo also won the inaugural FIFA BEST player award ahead of Messi and Neymar. Ronaldo helped Portugal win their first European title in 2016 and won 5 trophies with Real Madrid including the Champions League trophy, Club World cup and Spanish League gold. Messi and Ronaldo have officially dominated the football world for the past decade.

Kaka hangs his boots

“It was much more than I could ever imagined. Thank you!” he said. “I’m now ready for the next journey. In Jesus’ name. Amen.” – Kaka

On Sunday, the 17th of December 2017, the world woke up to this news on Twitter. The 35-year old Brazilian announced his retirement after a career that most people will remember. He joined AC Milan from Sao Paulo in 2003 where he spent six years where he helped Millan to Champions League success in 2007, scoring 10 goals in the process. He then transferring to Real Madrid for then record transfer fee of 56 million pounds. He won Spanish League title and the Copa Del Rey cup before returning to Millan in 2013 and then finishing his career in MLS at Orlando City.

Kaka is the last player to have won the Ballon d’Or in 2007 before Messi and Ronaldo took over the show. He now plans to return to AC Milan for an off the pitch role.

The Brazilian Magician might have not won as many individual trophies as Messi or Ronaldo but he certainly is a footballer that everyone will remember, not only for his immense skill, but also for his humility and influence off the pitch.