Manchester City legend Yaya Toure has admitted that former Super Eagles midfielder John Mikel Obi was the more deserving candidate for the 2013 CAF African Player of the Year award. Despite Toure's third consecutive win, he acknowledged that Mikel’s remarkable performances for Chelsea and Nigeria that year—helping Chelsea lift the UEFA Champions League and guiding Nigeria to the Africa Cup of Nations title—made him the rightful winner.
Speaking candidly on the Obi One Podcast, Toure expressed that Mikel’s contributions during the season were pivotal, saying, "You deserved it, Obi, to be honest, because in the league, the season was perfect. Nigeria won the AFCON, and you were instrumental in this period."
Toure, who had no prior knowledge from CAF about his award, stated he would have been equally content if Mikel had been named the winner. Reflecting on his decision to attend the award ceremony, Toure emphasized the importance of supporting African events, saying, "If it were me or him [Obi Mikel], it would have been fine, but the big question was me attending the ceremony. If we don’t go there, who’s going to support?"
The former Ivory Coast captain also called for greater unity among Africans, urging for more collective support for African events and achievements. “We’ve seen the Europeans supporting their own cause, their own events, and their own things. We Africans want to do that, but we have to make sure we unite and we go together.”
