ACCRA: Ivory Coast and Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure was named African Footballer of the Year on Thursday night. The 28-year-old finished ahead of Mali’s Seydou Keita and Ghanaian Andre ‘Dede’ Ayew in polling by national coaches of the 53-member associations of the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The full tally of votes was not immediately released by CAF, African football’s governing body. Toure thanked his family, including brother and City team mate Kolo. “This award is not important for me alone. It’s for my country and for my club,” he said. “This is a big step in my career, I’m very thrilled. To be the winner is fantastic.”