African Footballer of the Year. European based players came on top – on one hand, African players were increasingly playing in Europe and getting respect as professionals. On the other hand, the African championship informed the outcome of the yearly voting the best – and those who impressed there counted most. Of course, they played in Europe already. Youssouf Falikou Fofana, playing for Monaco, was 3rd with 40 points. Roger Milla (Cameroon and Montpellier) – 2nd with 68 points. May be the top African player since mid-1970, for he appeared regularly among the best three.
Kalusha Bwalya (Zambia and Cercle Brugge) won without any doubt with 111 points.
May be playing for smallish Belgian club, but also the star of exciting and unfortunate Zambian national team. If Milla was established star for years, he also represented the old by now – 25-years old Bwalya was the current wave of players not just struggling to establish themselves in Europe, but players recognized for talent and much in demand. Players more or less on equal footing with native European professionals. Bwalya was by no means one-time wonder: his best and most famous years were yet to come.
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