Today in history: Black Stars named African team of the Year

Ghana's Senior National Team, the Black Stars on Monday 20th December, 2010 scooped the CAF National Team of the Year Award in the 350 seater hall at the City Stars, in Cairo, Egypt.

The award is given to any national team that excelled and performed exceptionally above all, and also qualified for a major competition during the year under review and achieved the ultimate as well.

Ghana enjoyed highly successful season finishing as runners-up at the Orange Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Angola in January, 2010 and emerging the continent's best team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup after losing out painfully to Uruguay on penalties at the quarter-final stage.

On the same night Samuel Eto'o Fils was crowned the African Footballer of the year for a record fourth time.

Eto'o, who also won the award in 2003, 2004 and 2005, helped Inter Milan win an unprecedented treble of Serie A, Italian Cup and Champions League titles in 2010 and that was enough to win the hearts of the voters

This makes him the only player to win the award which started in 1970 on four occasions. This is followed by Abedi Pele and George Weah each won the award three times.

In the other award categories, the Serbian trainer Milovan Rajevac, who guided Ghana to both the 2010 AFCON and 2010 World Cup, was voted coach of the year.

Ahmed Hassan won the African-based player of the year award after leading Egypt to the African Cup of Nations title.