Uganda Cranes scooped the best team of 2016 at the Glo-CAF Awards with goalkeeper Dennis Onyango taking home the best African based player of the year award on 5th January, 2017 in Abuja, Nigeria.
Cranes beat stiff competition from DR Congo and Senegal to the team of the year award after making history by ending a 38-year wait to qualify for Afcon.
Uganda Cranes team that qualified for the African Nations Cup finals in Gabon.
Meanwhile, Onyango got the better of Mamelodi Sundowns teammate Khama Billiat and TP Mazembe’s Reinford Kalaba, collecting 252 votes in the process. Billiat finished second behind Onyango with 228 votes, while Kalaba came in third with 206 votes according to Confederation of African Football (CAF)
The Uganda international helped the Brazilians lift their maiden Caf Champions League crown at the expense of Zamalek and was also influential in Uganda’s qualification to the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon.
The former Bidvest Wits shot-stopper becomes the first South African-based player to win the continental award.
On the Other hand, Riyad Mahrez become the first Algerian and maiden North African to win the best African player of the year accolade since its inception by the Africa De Football (CAF) in 1992.
The play-maker played an instrumental role in the historic Premier League triumph by English Club, Leicester City in the 2015/2016 season.
The winners were decided by the votes from the head Coaches or Technical Directors of the National Associations affiliated to CAF, members of the CAF Media Committee, members of the CAF Technical and Development Committee and a 20-member panel of experts.
African Player of the Year – Riyad Mahrez (Algeria & Leicester City)
African Player of the Year – Based in Africa: Denis Onyango (Uganda & Mamelodi Sundowns)
Women’s Player of the Year: Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria & Arsenal Ladies)
Most Promising Talent: Kelechi Iheanacho (Nigeria & Manchester City)
Youth Player of the Year: Alex Iwobi (Nigeria and Arsenal)
Coach of the Year: Pitso Mosimane (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Club of the Year: Mamelodi Sundowns
National Team of the Year:Uganda
Women’s National Team of the Year:Nigeria
Referee of the Year: Bakary Papa Gassama
Football Leader of the Year: Manuel Lopes Nascimento, President of Guinea Bissau Football Federation
Legend Award: Laurent Pokou, Former player of Cote d’Ivoire and Emilienne MBANGO, Former player of Cameroon
Africa Finest XI
Goalkeeper: Denis Onyango (Uganda & Mamelodi Sundowns)
Defenders: Serge Aurier (Cote d’Ivoire & Paris Saint-Germain), Aymen Abdennour (Tunisia & Valencia), Eric Bailly (Cote d’Ivoire & Manchester United), Joyce Lomalisa (DR Congo & AS Vita)
Midfielders: Khama Billiat (Zimbabwe & Mamelodi Sundowns), Rainford Kalaba (Zambia & TP Mazembe), Keegan Dolly (South Africa & Mamelodi Sundowns)
Forwards: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon & Borussia Dortmund), Sadio Mane (Senegal & Liverpool), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria & Leicester City)
Substitutes
Aymen Mathlouthi (Tunisia & Etoile du Sahel), Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal & Napoli), Salif Coulibaly (Mali & TP Mazembe), Islam Slimani (Algeria & Leicester City), Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Roma), Kelechi IHEANACHO (Nigeria & Manchester City), Alex Iwobi (Nigeria and Arsenal)