Adebayor Player of the Year?

Emmanuel Adebayor was just pegged as the African player of the year for 2008. He did bang in 30 goals last year, but I personally think he is vastly over rated. He is a younger version of Kanu. He will put in some goals, but what he offers after that is minimal. He is a product of Arsenal's free flowing style of football and I don't think he is the type of player that can carry the load up front.

My pick for African player of the year would have been either Michael Essien or Sulley Muntari. Essien has been injured as of late so it is understandable that he missed out. But he seen as a deep lying midfielder with great tackling ability. While this is all true, he provides much more to his team offensively than he gets credit for.

I see Muntari in the same way as Essien. A defensive mid that provides more offense than given credit. The only difference is that Muntari played more games last year. His contribution to Portsmouth can't be overstated as he dictated the games in the midfield for them. It's no wonder why Mourinho brought him to Inter Milan, where he has done a great job playing along side Cambiasso. His energy level is immense and if he can tidy up his passing and finishing a bit more he could be very similar to Cambiasso.

Muntari would have been my selection for African Player of the Year. Adebayor is one dimensional, he floats in and out of games, and he's bad for the chemistry of the squad with all of his transfer issues.