Onyango was picked for the African Player of the Year Based in Africa award ahead of Mamelodi Sundowns teammate Khama Billiat and Zambia’s Rainford Kalaba.
He was outstanding when seven-time South African champions Sundowns won an historic CAF Champions League and also when Uganda qualified for this year’s Africa Cup of Nations after a long absence.
At the awards, goalkeeper Onyango, named best African Player of the Year Based in Africa, was a winner on many fronts – with Cranes and his club Sundowns, best club in Africa, his coach Pitso Mosimane named Coach of the Year and he was also on the Africa XI of 2016.
This was at the glamorous awards night held at the International Conference Center in Abuja on Thursday night.
Uganda was ably represented by the FUFA CEO, Edgar Watson and Onyango himself.
Full list of Winners:
African Player of the Year – Riyad Mahrez (Algeria & Leicester City)
African Player of the Year – Based in Africa: Denis Onyango (Uganda & Mamelodi Sundowns)
Women’s Player of the Year: Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria & Arsenal Ladies)
Most Promising Talent: Kelechi Iheanacho (Nigeria & Manchester City)
Youth Player of the Year: Alex Iwobi (Nigeria and Arsenal)
Coach of the Year: Pitso Mosimane (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Club of the Year: Mamelodi Sundowns
National Team of the Year:Uganda
Women’s National Team of the Year:Nigeria
Referee of the Year: Bakary Papa Gassama
Football Leader of the Year: Manuel Lopes Nascimento, President of Guinea Bissau Football Federation
Legend Award: Laurent Pokou, Former player of Cote d’Ivoire and Emilienne MBANGO, Former player of Cameroon
Africa Finest XI
Goalkeeper: Denis Onyango (Uganda & Mamelodi Sundowns)
Defenders: Serge Aurier (Cote d’Ivoire & Paris Saint-Germain), Aymen Abdennour (Tunisia & Valencia), Eric Bailly (Cote d’Ivoire & Manchester United), Joyce Lomalisa (DR Congo & AS Vita)
Midfielders: Khama Billiat (Zimbabwe & Mamelodi Sundowns), Rainford Kalaba (Zambia & TP Mazembe), Keegan Dolly (South Africa & Mamelodi Sundowns)
Forwards: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon & Borussia Dortmund), Sadio Mane (Senegal & Liverpool), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria & Leicester City)
Substitutes
Aymen Mathlouthi (Tunisia & Etoile du Sahel), Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal & Napoli), Salif Coulibaly (Mali & TP Mazembe), Islam Slimani (Algeria & Leicester City), Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Roma), Kelechi IHEANACHO (Nigeria & Manchester City), Alex Iwobi (Nigeria and Arsenal)
