After winning the 2016 CAF Youth Player of the Year at the 2017 GLO-CAF Awards, Alex Iwobi has been tipped to be named Player of the Year in the nearest future.
Iwobi rounded up a fantastic 2016 by emerging winner of the CAF Youth Player of the Year and his uncle and Super Eagles great, Austin Okocha believes the youngster will win the Player of the Year award very soon.
No Nigerian has won the award since Kanu Nwankwo in1999 but Okocha believes his nephew, Iwobi can break that jinx.
“It is not fair that no Nigerian player has been able to win the African footballer of the year since Nwankwo Kanu in 1999,” said Okocha to Complete Sports.
“We have come close on some occasions but we will get there soon.”
“I see the likes of young Kelechi Iheanacho, Alex Iwobi, Troost Ekong, Victor Osimhen and others winning future African player of the year awards. It is a generation thing; our generation dominated Africa then we missed out for long. We’ll be there again.
“Iwobi, Iheanacho and other up-and-coming youngsters will definitely climb the rostrum as African footballer of the year in say two to three years’ time. I am positive about this.”