Aboutrika wins BBC 2008 African Footballer of the Year - January 17,2009

Considered by many Egyptian soccer fans and many of his loyal supporters across Africa as the Zidane of Africa, Mohammed Aboutrika of Al- Ahly and Pharaoh of Egypt dynamic midfielder became BBC 2008 African Footballer of the year.

Aboutrika won by beating Cameroun international and Barcelona striker and Ivorian and Chelsea striker and 2007 winner Togo international and arsenal forward Emmanuel Adebayor to the top award. He won by landslide claiming more than half of the 155,000 votes casted.

Mohammed Aboutrika was influential in Al-Ahly winning the CAF Champions League last year and helping the pharaoh to win back to back the African Cup of Nations.

For many followers of the beautiful game in Africa the award is long overdue, for years he proved to all that he is the best in the continent yet the award keep eluding him. Finally, he won and thus become the second Al-Ahly and Egyptian player to win the award after Mohammed Barakat won in 2005.

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