Martins, others tipped to step into Weah’s shoe

Super Eagles striker, Obafemi Martins, is the only Nigerian player that made the list of the world football governing body, FIFA,

of African players that can step into the shoes of African legendary footballers like George Weah, Abedi Pele, Roger Milla and Rabah Madjer, among others.

Martins whose career has been more like a yoyo, made the list ahead of more exalted colleagues like John Obi Mikel, Osaze Odemwingie, Chinedu Obasi and others, who may not be as skillful as Martins, but have shown more commitment, professionalism and level headedness.

Other illustrious African players that made the list released on FIFA.COM yesterday include Didier Drogba of Côte d’Ivoire and Chelsea, and Samuel Eto’o of Cameroun and Inter Milan. The others are Michael Essien (Ghana), Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo), Mohammed Aboutrika and Ahmed Hassan (both Egypt) and Rafik Saifi and Antar Yahia (both Algeria).

Obafemi Martins

FIFA statisticians describe Martins, as “This pint-sized striker (1.70m/70kg), renowned for his bursts of speed, has enjoyed success wherever he has laid his hat. In Serie A, he notched up 49 strikes in 134 games with Inter Milan, while in the English Premier League, he managed 35 in 104 appearances for Newcastle.

At the start of the 2009/10 season, he decided to try his luck in Germany, joining reigning champions Wolfsburg. At the age of 25, he has already scored 17 times in 34 outings for Nigeria, including a vital brace in the 3-2 win in Kenya this month that secured the Super Eagles a berth in South Africa.”

Didier Drogba

The survey described Didier Drogba, Côte d’Ivoire’s all-time leading scorer (41 goals in 60 games) as a man who needs no introduction. Drogba, 31, wrote FIFA.COM, “constitutes talent in its purest state, possessing as he does an exceptional eye for goal (not least with his head), awe-inspiring strength and a burning desire to win – attributes that have earned him a string of awards in recent years.”

Samuel Eto’o

The man favoured to win the Globacom African Footballer of the Year Award for a record fourth time because of his splendid performance last season with Barcelona and Cameroun is described as “a tireless, insatiable goalscorer. Always in the right place at the right time; there are few better at sprinting into the box to fire home at crucial moments. Peripheral to the play at times, he clearly prefers efficiency to flair, plundering a scarcely believable 130 goals in 200 appearances for Barcelona. Equally impressive is his record for Cameroun, which shows another 42 strikes in 88 games.”

Michael Essien

This player, whose inclusion is not a surprise, also merit his description, “A real engine in Chelsea’s midfield, the Ghanaian Michael Essien is the prototype of the modern footballer, a cultured combination of power and technique. Very adaptable, the 26-year-old can deliver the same productive performance in defence as he does as a holding midfielder, as an attacking midfield or even out wide. ‘The Bison’ works tirelessly and is never afraid to shoot from distance, often with spectacular results.”

Emmanuel Adebayor

The man Arsenal use to love, who they now hate with a passion, also made the list.

The African Footballer of the Year in 2008, he scored 62 goals in 142 matches for Arsenal and played a decisive role in Togo’s qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Mohamed Aboutrika

Also on the list is Mohamed Aboutrika whose career path has not been that of your average footballer, to say the least. Viewed as one of African football’s crown jewels of the last decade, the Egyptian international spent half his career at home-town club Tersana, before joining the imposing Al Ahly in January 2004, wrote FIFA.COM.