Nigerian football was back in the spotlight of continental soccer eyes, as the trio of Nwankwo Kanu, Victor Nosa Ikpeba and Emmanuel Amuneke played key roles atr the 2018 Confederation of African Football awards.
Sports247.ng can report that all three players were invited to the event in Dakar, Senegal as past winners of African Footballer of The Year, but they turned out with very active roles before and during the show.
Before the presentation of awards started on the night, the past African Player of the Year winners were called up to the podium for applause, with Amuneke (1994), Ikpeba (1997) as well as Kanu (1996 and 1999) among the elite roll call.
They were joined by George Opong Weah, Frederick Kanoute, Samuel Eto’o, Didier Drogba, Yaya Toure, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, Riyad Mahrez and Mohamed Salah.
The ladies wee not left out, as former Super Falcons striker, Perpetua Nkwocha also played a role by presenting the award of Best Women’s National Team.
Incidentally, the award was won by to the Falcons, and Nkwocha ended up presenting the plaque to the president of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Melvin Amaju Pinnick.
Before all that, on Monday, January 7, African legends in town toured Goree Island in Dakar, after which the First Legends Match took place.
The tour had Mark Fish, Samuel Eto’o, Mohamed Aboutrika, Anthony Baffoe and El Hadji Diouf among others, with another Nigerian female icon, Mercy Akide-Udoh also present.
In Gorée Island, another press conference held, attended by president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Ahmad Ahmad and top officials, while the legends’ game held on Monday night.
The African legend XI had Didier Drogba, Antoine Bell, Eto’o, Jimmy Adjovi-Boco, Titi Camara, Hazem Emam, Cyril Domoraud, Aboutrika, Mustapha Hadji and Nouridine Naybet.
Also present were Mark Fish, Geremi Njitap, Gilberto, Ikpeba, Frederic Kanoute, Michael Essien, Patrick M’Boma, Amuneke and Kanu.
Representing Senegal’s class of 2002 were some of the players that took the country to the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan.
Among them were Tony Silva, Habib Beye, Lamine Diatta, Pape Malick Diop, Diouf, Salif Diao, Amdy Faye, Moussa Ndiaye, Alassane Ndour, Khalilou Fadiga, Aliou Cisse and Souleymane Camara.
Liberia’s president, George Weah, who played for AC Milan, Monaco and Chelsea, Ballon d’Or winner in 1995, was at Leopold Sedar Senghor Stadium to watch the game, which was won 3-2 by the African XI.
