Parma striker Patrick Mboma has pipped Arsenal's Lauren to the African Footballer of the Year title after a brilliant year with the Cameroon national team

Cameroon's dominance of African football this year has been rewarded with the top four places in the awards presented by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Mboma finished ahead of Lauren, Samuel Eto'o of Real Mallorca and Real Madrid's Geremi Njitap Fotso to take the 2000 title.

All four were members of Cameroon's African Nations Cup winning team in February and also played in the under-23 side, which won the Olympic Gold medal at the Sydney Games in September.

Mboma polled 136 votes, 87 votes ahead of Lauren.

Last year's winner Nwankwo Kanu of Arsenal and Nigeria finished fifth in the poll, conducted among members of CAF's press and technical committees.

Charlton's new loan signing Shaun Bartlett finished 10th.

Sydney star

Mboma hit four goals in Sydney as one of the overage players in the under-23 side and also scored four times in the Indomitable Lions' African Nations' Cup success in February.

Mboma, 30, becomes the first player from Cameroon to win the award since Roger Milla in 1990.

He was born in Cameroon but grew up in France, making his first appearance for the Lions at the age of 26.

He previously played with Paris Saint-Germain, FC Metz, Japan's Gamba Osaka and Cagliari before signing for Parma in June this year.