<P> Initially a sports award, the inaugural winner was Ghana's Abedi Pele in 1992 . The only non-footballers to win the award was track and field athlete Frankie Fredericks in 1993, and long - distance track and road running athlete Haile Gebrselassie in 1998 . The Zambia national football team were posthumous winners of the award in 1994, following the plane crash in the Atlantic Ocean a year previous . The award became centred around football from 2001 onwards, Cameroon's Patrick M'Boma was the last person to win it as a sports award . </P> <P> Nigeria's Nwankwo Kanu and Jay - Jay Okocha, as well as the Ivory Coast's Yaya Touré, are the only players to win the award more than once, with two wins . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th> Year </Th> <Th> Winner </Th> <Th> Club (s) </Th> <Th> Reference </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1992 </Td> <Td> Abedi Pele </Td> <Td> Marseille </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Frankie Fredericks </Td> <Td> N / A </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Zambia national football team </Td> <Td> N / A </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1995 </Td> <Td> George Weah </Td> <Td> Milan </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Emmanuel Amuneke </Td> <Td> Sporting CP Barcelona </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Nwankwo Kanu </Td> <Td> Internazionale </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1998 </Td> <Td> Haile Gebrselassie </Td> <Td> N / A </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1999 </Td> <Td> Nwankwo Kanu </Td> <Td> Arsenal </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2000 </Td> <Td> Patrick M'Boma </Td> <Td> Cagliari Parma </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Samuel Kuffour </Td> <Td> Bayern Munich </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2002 </Td> <Td> El Hadji Diouf </Td> <Td> Lens Liverpool </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2003 </Td> <Td> Jay - Jay Okocha </Td> <Td> Bolton Wanderers </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Jay - Jay Okocha </Td> <Td> Bolton Wanderers </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2005 </Td> <Td> Mohamed Barakat </Td> <Td> Al Ahly </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2006 </Td> <Td> Michael Essien </Td> <Td> Chelsea </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2007 </Td> <Td> Emmanuel Adebayor </Td> <Td> Arsenal </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2008 </Td> <Td> Mohamed Aboutrika </Td> <Td> Al Ahly </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2009 </Td> <Td> Didier Drogba </Td> <Td> Chelsea </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Asamoah Gyan </Td> <Td> Sunderland </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2011 </Td> <Td> André Ayew </Td> <Td> Marseille </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2012 </Td> <Td> Christopher Katongo </Td> <Td> Henan Construction </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2013 </Td> <Td> Yaya Touré </Td> <Td> Manchester City </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2014 </Td> <Td> Yacine Brahimi </Td> <Td> Granada Porto </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2015 </Td> <Td> Yaya Touré </Td> <Td> Manchester City </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2016 </Td> <Td> Riyad Mahrez </Td> <Td> Leicester City </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2017 </Td> <Td> Mohamed Salah </Td> <Td> Roma Liverpool </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th> Year </Th> <Th> Winner </Th> <Th> Club (s) </Th> <Th> Reference </Th> </Tr>

Who won the bbc african footballer of the year 2017