Zambian Katongo emerges as 2012 African footballer of the year

 

Zambia’s Christopher Katongo, has emerged as the 2012 BBC African Footballer of the Year.
The 30-year-captain of his national team, beat fellow nominees like Demba Ba, Didier Drogba, Younes Belhanda and Yaya Toure and became the first player from Southern Africa, to win the award.
“This is a fantastic moment for me. "I thank the people who voted for me" he said. It is something I will never forget in my career,” Katongo told BBC
Sport.
“I did my best and the people have spoken – that’s the beauty of this award.
“This means a lot for the young people and the young players who look up to me. I could not have achieved this without the support of my team-mates.”
Katongo, who plays in China for Henan Construction, won over 40% of the votes from a record number of people, who nominated their favourite players online or by sms.