Manchester City star Yaya Toure was on Monday crowned the BBC African Footballer of the Year for 2013.
The 30-year old Ivory Coast international, formerly of Monaco and Barcelona, beat off competition from four other nominees - John Obi Mikel, Victor Moses, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Jonathan Pitroipa - to win the award for the first time.
Speaking to City's official website, Toure was delighted to clinch the prize which adds him to a list of great African names such as Patrick Mboma, Jay Jay Okocha, Michael Essien and Didier Drogba.
"To join such a great list of names to have won the award in the past, it's an incredible feeling," he said.
"When I first signed at City at my first press conference, I said I came here to achieve a lot of things and this is part of that. Personal and collective achievements.
"Football is all my life, when I hear fans singing my name, I never want to stop. What the club and the fans have given me here is unbelievable - it's massive."
List of BBC African Footballers of the Year
2013 - Yaya Toure (Manchester City & Ivory Coast) 2012 - Christopher Katongo (Henan Construction & Gambia) 2011 - Andre 'Dede' Ayew (Marseille & Ghana) 2010 - Asamoah Gyan (Sunderland & Ghana) 2009 - Didier Drogba (Chelsea & Ivory Coast) 2008 - Mohamed Aboutrika (Al Ahly & Egypt) 2007 - Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal & Togo) 2006 - Michael Essien (Chelsea & Ghana) 2005 - Mohamed Barakat (Al Ahly & Egypt) 2004 - Jay Jay Okocha (Bolton & Nigeria) 2003 - Jay Jay Okocha (Bolton & Nigeria) 2002 - El Hadji Diouf (Liverpool & Senegal) 2001 - Sammy Kuffour (Bayern Munich & Ghana) 2000 - Patrick Mboma (Parma & Cameroon)
