The Manchester City man made history in Lagos on Thursday, and contrary to what most Nigerians think, he is fully deserving.
What followed the energetic performance of twin Afro-Hip Hop act
P-Square at the 2014 Glo CAF Awards was crushing in its inevitability.
Once again, it was the Ivorian colossus Yaya Toure whose name was
read out in front of a silent Eko Convention Centre, ahead of
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and home favourite Vincent Enyeama. Four times
Africa’s best player, a record shared with Samuel Eto’o, but Yaya
stands alone in winning his gongs consecutively.
For the many gathered in finery amid the glamour of the event, there
had flickered the faint hope that it would be Nigeria’s captain Enyeama
smiling to the dais. The Lille shot-stopper was immense in 2014 between
the sticks for the Super Eagles, leading with a calm head while his
compatriots lost theirs.
While there can be no denying Yaya is without peer on the continent,
the contention of many is that Enyeama had a better year. The Manchester
City man equalled Frank Lampard’s record as the highest-scoring central
midfielder in a Premier League season, notching 20 goals as the
Citizens won the title in England.
However, he struggled to transplant that form to the international
stage. Cote d’Ivoire were dour at the World Cup, and their captain
lolloped around with little idea on how to lift them. It was painfully
ironic that it was Didier Drogba’s introduction in both games against
Japan and Colombia at the World Cup that galvanised the Elephants,
seeing as the Chelsea had ceded the captaincy to Yaya.
Yaya | Absent on the world's grandest stage
Ultimately, their campaign ended in the disappointment of a Group
Stage exit – at no point was Yaya’s Manchester City incarnation visible.
For his part, Enyeama was doing the opposite.
His bid to break Gaetan Huard’s clean-sheets record was ultimately
foiled in 2013, but the former Enyimba goalkeeper continued his
impressive form through to the second half of the season. He was
instrumental to Lille’s third-place Ligue 1 finish, a position which got
them into the Champions League preliminary rounds.
Enyeama then went on to have a brilliant World Cup campaign with
Nigeria, who went toe-to-toe with eventual finalists Argentina without
being disgraced. The score ended 3-2 to the South Americans suggesting
an extremely close game. In truth, Enyeama’s brilliance was often the
sole barrier. The African champions eventually bowed out to France at
the Round of 16; it was a disappointing end, but it was one better than
Cote d’Ivoire managed.
One of Africa's star performers at the World Cup
Viewed this way, you can understand the grievances with the choice of
Yaya. It then comes down to the question of how to measure the
relevance of performances with the clubside against that with the
national team. Should the latter get priority over the former, bearing
in mind that international football is only played a handful of times in
a year (barring international competitions)?
I think not.
One of the factors that truly hurt Enyeama in my mind is the timing
of these awards. Considering the football season runs from August to
May, perhaps it would make more sense to have player awards at the end
of the season, or just before the next, in order to have a truly
representative performance to choose from.
Lille have looked a completely different side this term, struggling
to score goals while leaking them at the other end. This has impacted
negatively on Enyeama, naturally, a disadvantage other players may not
have. Yaya, playing in a star-studded Manchester City line-up, certainly
does not have that worry.
The result is that there is a safety net to cushion the loss of form
which Toure suffered at the beginning of the season. Moving from one
season into the next, Enyeama does not have that luxury. Had this award
been handed out in, say, June, the Super Eagles captain would have been a
shoo-in to win.
Yaya | The Record-Breaker
Form, they say, is temporal, and a player of Toure’s quality was
never going to be stuck in a rut forever. To his credit, the Elephants’
captain has picked up his swagger again and is now back to his
unplayable best at the Etihad, while Enyeama has discovered the
limitations of a goalkeeper at a modest club who have punched above
their weight too long.
The verdict may not be to everyone’s liking, and there would have
been a feel-good element to a goalkeeper finally getting the recognition
their contributions deserve, but it is just about the correct one.
Congratulations Yaya Toure.
Enjoy him now, Africa. He is one of those whose legend will be feted and handed down many generations.
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08:26
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*2013-14 Premier League stats
Lanre DaSilva Ajayi and sister Femi DaSilva
