Yacine Brahimi of FC Porto has been named the BBC African Footballer of the Year 2014, and the 24-year-old midfielder becomes the first Algerian to win the awards.
Brahimmi became the winner after football fans in 207 Fifa-registered countries submitted their votes.
In a statement with BBC SPORT, he expressed his gratitude to everyone who voted for him and he was also happy to be the first Algerian to be bestowed such an honor. Read his words below…
“It’s a big honour for me to receive this wonderful trophy. I owe it to my country, Algeria, and to all the people who voted for me.
“It’s also a trophy for the whole of Africa, because it rewards an African player. So I am really very happy.”
