Football fans voted for Manchester City’s Toure, who first won in 2013, ahead of Yacine Brahimi, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Andre Ayew and Sadio Mane.

“I am very proud. To receive this dedication from the fans is unbelievable,” Toure told BBC Sport.

“Also I want to pay tribute to the other nominees. African football is growing up, becoming much better and we have fantastic young players coming through now.”

Toure described all five nominees as “champions”.
He added: “I am delighted and very happy. And as an African player, I want to lead all my younger brothers to be successful in the future.

“When I was a kid I was always dreaming of being an important player. I have sacrificed a lot.

“I will continue to try to win a trophy every year, I will fight to win a personal trophy.”

Two of the beaten nominees have won the award before, Algeria’s Brahimi in 2014 and Ghanaian Ayew in 2011. Gabon’s Aubameyang was on the shortlist for the third year running, while Senegalese Mane made it for the first time.

Toure has been nominated for the award seven times and his second win ensures his year ends with a trophy, just as it began when he led Ivory Coast to glory at the Africa Cup of Nations.

He captained the team in Equatorial Guinea and opened the scoring in the semi-final to put his side on course for a 3-1 victory over Democratic Republic of Congo.

Toure was a key influence as his country end a 23-year wait for their second Nations Cup title, overcoming Ghana in a penalty shootout in the final.

It was Toure’s first trophy with the national team in his sixth Nations Cup tournament, and having lost in two finals – in 2006 and 2012.

There was less success for Toure with Manchester City, who failed to defend their English Premier League 2014 title and finished second to Chelsea.

But Toure remains a powerful presence in the heart of the midfield and contributed seven goals for City in the calendar year.

Vera Kwakofi, Current Affairs Editor, BBC Africa, said: “Yaya Toure’s leadership for country and club offers an example for many young footballers aspiring to emulate his career.

“We are pleased that as the BBC we are here to celebrate and share in this moment with his fans around the world.”

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The 24-year-old midfielder becomes the first Algerian to win the award, which is decided by football fans.

Porto winger Brahimi told BBC Sport: “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.”

After a record number of votes were submitted from fans in 207 Fifa-registered countries, Brahimi came out on top ahead of Nigerian Vincent Enyeama, Gabonese Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ivorian pair Gervinho and Yaya Toure.

He is thrilled to have been acclaimed as the best player on the continent for the past year.

“This trophy is going to give me more strength, more desire to work, to get better, to learn so that I can keep having great performances,” added Brahimi, who was congratulated in a Tweet by last year’s winner Toure.

During 2014, Brahimi has shone for club and country.

He starred for Algeria at the World Cup in Brazil, helping them reach the last 16 for the first time and scoring his first international goal in the 4-2 win over South Korea in the group stage.

Domestically, Brahimi started the year at Spanish club Granada, where his strong performances led to him being named best African player in the country last season – and earned him a move to Portuguese giants Porto.

He has scored six goals in 15 appearances for his new club and is revelling in the challenge of European Champions League football, where he hit a hat-trick in the club’s first group match.

“First I won the award because of the people who voted for me. So once again I need to thank them.

“Then it’s thanks for FC Porto – they allowed me to play in the Champions League, to play in big games and to have great performances. The club has allowed me to express myself and to perform well on the pitch.”

Brahimi will also be part of Algeria’s squad to play in the Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea from 17 January to 8 February.

“The Africa Cup of Nations is also coming. There are big opportunities for me,” he said. “And I hope I’ll be able to achieve big things this year both with my national team and my club.

“I’m sharing this trophy with my family, with all the African countries and with all the Algerians who have always supported me. Thanks again.”

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Algeria midfielder, Yacine Brahimi hit the winner, holding off Martin Montoya before finding the net.

Granada keeper Orestis Karnezis pushed out Lionel Messi’s beautifully-flighted free-kick before saving at the feet of Sergio Busquets as Barca pressed.

Leaders Atletico Madrid will move four points clear of Barca if they win at relegation-threatened Getafe on Sunday.

And Barca will drop to third, with five matches remaining, if Real Madrid manage to beat second-bottom Almeria at the Bernabeu.

The Catalans knew they would provisionally move top of La Liga with a win that most expected them to earn at Granada.

But, despite enjoying over 80% of the possession, they were unable to cancel out Brahimi’s early opener, adding further misery to an already wretched week.

Fresh from their Champions League exit at the hands of Atletico, Barca found themselves trailing when the Algeria international outpaced Montoya before beating goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto with a powerful angled drive.

The visitors upped the tempo with Karnezis pushing Neymar’s curling effort wide and Cesc Fabregas having a shot blocked by Granada’s on-loan Liverpool defender Tiago Ilori.

After the break, Barca continued to pin back the hosts with an equaliser seemingly almost a matter of time.

But Gerardo Martino’s men could not find a way past Granada’s inspired goalkeeper Karnezis. The Greece international showed superb reactions to push away Fabregas’ first-time shot, before clawing out a 20-yard free-kick from the largely anonymous Messi.

Then, he bravely dived at the feet of Busquets in the six-yard box following a corner.

With Barca pouring forward, Granada almost netted a second in the final moments as Youssef El Arabi raced clear on the counter before being denied by Pinto in a one-on-one situation.

But it mattered little as Barcelona, who face Real Madrid in the Copa Del Rey final on Wednesday, suffered a second straight defeat.

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