91Èȱ¬

Ghana and Sunderland striker, Asamoah Gyan, has been voted by football fans across the world as 91Èȱ¬ African Footballer of the Year 2010. The results were announced live on 91Èȱ¬ World Service's flagship sports programme for Africa, Fast Track on Wednesday 17 December.

The search for African Footballer of the Year 2010 began on Monday 15 November when fans were given a chance to choose their African football hero from a shortlist selected by experts from across the continent.

The shortlist also included Gyan's Ghana national team-mate, Andre 'Dede' Ayew (Marseille), Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon and Inter Milan), and Ivorians, Yaya Toure (Manchester City) and Didier Drogba (Chelsea).

Votes were cast online at or via text messages. As public voting closed on Friday 10 December 2010, Gyan emerged as the overwhelming choice of the fans, securing more than half the total number of online and text votes.

On discovering he had won the award, Asamoah Gyan was overwhelmed: "I'm so happy, I can't believe it. I'm so thankful to all the fans who voted for me.

"It really was hard to win this award especially because of all the other players I was up against. So I'm so appreciative to all my fans in Africa, especially my family and fans in Ghana."

The host of Fast Track, Farayi Mungazi said: "Asamoah has had a truly special year, and fans across Africa have realised that.

"He's not a flashy player and certainly doesn't 'shout from the rooftops'. This is a player who prefers to do his talking on the pitch, and that makes him a worthy winner.

"He was, of course, involved in one of the most dramatic moments of the World Cup: that heart-stopping penalty miss in Ghana's quarter-final against Uruguay will live long in the memory of those who witnessed it."

Sunderland football club's manager, Steve Bruce: "Asamoah has been a fantastic addition to the Sunderland squad. As our record signing, he had a lot of expectation placed on his shoulders but he has embraced the club wholeheartedly and has settled in very well.

"He's a strong, quick player and brings something different to the side. He can create a chance out of nothing. He has formed positive partnerships with other strikers and he's a real bright spark around the place too – always smiling and happy.

"He has an infectious joy for football, and we are reaping the rewards of that. I'm thrilled for Asamoah that he has been awarded this honour, it is thoroughly deserved."

Last year Didier Drogba was awarded the title. Previous winners have included Mohamed Aboutrika, Emmanuel Adebayor, Michael Essien, Jay-Jay Okocha, Samuel Kuffour, Nwankwo Kanu and George Weah.

Notes to Editors

The 91Èȱ¬ attracts a global audience of 241 million people to its international news services including 91Èȱ¬ World Service and the 91Èȱ¬ World News television channel.

World Service is an international multimedia broadcaster delivering 32 language and regional services. It uses multiple platforms to reach its weekly audience of 180 million globally, including shortwave, AM, FM, digital satellite and cable channels.

Its news sites, which received 7.1 million weekly visitors in September 2010, include audio and video content and offer opportunities to join the global debate. It has around 2,000 partner radio stations which take 91Èȱ¬ content, and numerous partnerships supplying content to mobile phones and other wireless handheld devices. For more information, visit bbcworldservice.com. For a weekly alert about World Service programmes, sign up for the 91Èȱ¬ World Agenda e-guide at .

Fast Track is part of World Service's English-language programming for audiences across Africa, offering comprehensive coverage of African sport.

With his eye on sport right across the globe, the host, Farayi Mungazi, brings to the microphone a deep understanding of global sport, discussing the issues and asking the questions that every sports fan wants to hear. Fast Track is broadcast on Mondays and Fridays (16.00 GMT) and on Sundays (18.20 GMT).

Sports coverage on World Service includes the flagship global weekly sports show, Sportsworld, and World Football. The 91Èȱ¬'s multimedia services for Africa – 91Èȱ¬ Afrique (French for Africa), 91Èȱ¬ Hausa, 91Èȱ¬ Para Africa (Portuguese for Africa), 91Èȱ¬ Somali and 91Èȱ¬ Swahili – bring audiences commentary on English Premier League weekend matches.

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