Matias Fernandez Latin American Football of Year; African Shortlist Announced

We feel like proud parents around here today following the news this weekend that The Offside’s great discovery Matias Fernandez was voted Latin American footballer of the year for 2006 in a poll conducted by Uruguayan newspaper El Pais. The joyous news is almost enough to make us forget the unbearable post New Years hangover that is making it difficult to see straight. The 20-year-old Chilean Fernandez hopefully partied hard too after receiving the news that he had won the region’s most prestigious award.

The Colo Colo striker, who has now moved on to bigger and better things in Spain with Villareal, edged out the much ballyhooed Boca Juniors pair Rodrigo Palacio and Fernando Gago for the prize. Carlos Tevez walked away with the same piece of hardware the past three years before moving on to West Ham and forgetting how to play football.

The final shortlist for the African Player of the Year Award was also made public this weekend with Didier Drogba, Michael Essien and Samuel Eto’o the finalists selected by the coaches in the Confederation of African Football. The final three are all worthy in my opinion, but I see it as a two-way race between Eto’o, who was marvelous for Barcelona last year before his knee injury knocked him out for the final third of the season, and Drogba who has been on a tear for Chelsea this season and who played fairly well for Ivory Coast in the World Cup.

If I had to pick between the two, I’d probably go with Eto’o but just by the slimmest of margins. It shall be interesting to see if the voters go with the player with the more recent form or the player who was better during the first half of the year. Who would you vote for?

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Category: Africa, South America, World Football