Drogba has been on fire this season scoring 19 goals this season and finds himself sitting second in the goal scoring table behind an exceptional Wayne Rooney.  He is having one of his best seasons and certainly deserves the award for his on field performances, as well as his off the pitch charity work.

As always, with major awards there has been some controversy and argument that it should have gone to other players.  One player that looked in the running to win it was Samuel Eto’o, who had an excellent season last year and who was instrumental in Barcelona’s treble winning campaign.

Another footballer who was mentioned in the same breath as these two was Michael Essien, who was arguably a more productive player for Chelsea in the previous season, and who also helped lead Ghana to the Africa Cup of Nations final.  There were also some strong arguments that the award should have gone to Ahmed Hassan for leading Egypt to winning the Africa Cup of Nations, but at the same time Egypt failed to qualify for the World Cup, which somewhat diminished his chances. That being said, however, Drogba has had a tremendous season and certainly deserves the award.

Other awards included:

National Team of the Year: Algeria

Young Player of the Year: Dominic Adiyiah (AC Milan, Ghana U-20)

Best Supporters Club: South Africa Supporters Club

CAF Best XI:

Goalkeeper: Muteba Kidiaba (T.P Mazembe, DR Congo)

Defenders:John Pantsil (Fulham, Ghana); Nadir Belhadj (Portsmouth, Algeria); Wael Gomaa (Al-Ahly, Egypt)

Midfielders: Alexander Song (Arsenal, Cameroon); Michael Essien (Chelsea, Ghana); Seydou Keita (Barcelona, Mali); Yaya Toure (Barcelona, Cote d’Ivoire)

Attackers: Tresor Mputu Mabi (T.P. Mazembe, DR Congo); Samuel Eto’o (Inter Milan, Cameroon); Didier Drogba (Chelsea, Cote d’Ivoire)

“I think we have been accepted more this year after staying up. People have respected us more as a club and a team,” said the manager.

“I don’t think we have ever been spoken of as a team that is going to get relegated after the first 10 games of the season.

“We have made progress. We are a better team than we were last year. Results prove that especially away from home.

“We want to get to 40 points and then beat 45, our total last year. Then I will be doing somersaults.

“It has been a massive learning curve for me and also for the players accepting that it is a squad game and being part of a group.

“It is not just the 11 that are picked. It is the 18-19 players who get you through a season. That is becoming more and more evident.”

The pursuit of 40 points continues at home tomorrow as Stoke take on a tricky Aston Villa side. Pulis, meanwhile, has immense respect for everyone involved with the Villans.

“I would pay to watch Villa as they are a real exciting team. They are as good an attacking side as I have seen for a long time.

“Villa have so much pace, they can outplay you. They have all the tools in the bag.

“I have a lot of time for Martin. Some managers moan and groan when things are not going well. He never does, he gets on with it.

“He is gracious in victory and defeat. He has good quality about him.”

David Moyes, head coach at Everton, said he wants Donovan to extend his Premier League stay, but the upper management at the Galaxy are staying firm on their decision to have Landon back to start the season. Doesn’t this sound all too familiar from a year ago with the demand to have Beckham come back and start the MLS season? Here’s a quote from Bruce Arena regarding his demands to have Beckham return after the loan expired from AC Milan last year: “As a result, David remains an LA Galaxy player and we look forward to having him back with the club starting March 9.”

Now fast forward a year later and Arena is stating: “Landon will be back here March 15. We’re being consistent with everything we’ve said all along.” Well, the league and LA Galaxy weren’t very consistent last year were they, and I don’t expect them to be this year. It’s a World Cup year, and it behooves the league and Landon Donovan to stay at Everton so that he can grow as a player – and after completing a solid season for the Toffees, it could only generate more buzz for Major League Soccer.

But with a possible new collective bargain not being agreed to by the league and players, this might all be a moot point and Donovan stays at Goodison Park. On the flip side, if the Galaxy stand strong and Landon comes back to start the season, will he be a good soldier and play out the season or will there be subtle hints thrown to the press about not getting the same treatment teammate David Beckham has received in the past?

Stay tuned, this story has only just begun.

Jason Pedersen owns the soccer jersey blog JustSoccerJerseys.com

O’Hara insists that he has done enough to earn another season in the Premiership, and hopes Harry Redknapp can find a spot for him in a talented Tottenham side.

“The fans have been fantastic to me here and I have really enjoyed it, but I will be going back to Tottenham in the summer,” said O’Hara.

“Obviously, Tottenham is a fantastic club and any person in the Premier League would like to play for them.

“I am a Tottenham fan and I’ve always loved playing for them whenever I’ve put the shirt on.

“But I’ll have to sit down in the summer, have a chat with the gaffer and see what he wants from me.

“If he feels it’s time for me to move, hopefully I’ve done enough this season for a few clubs to be interested.

“I feel I have done enough this season to be playing in the Premiership and that’s what I’ll be looking to do.”

Between his great form domestically and his days as an England youth international, O’Hara hasn’t dismissed the possibility of another England callup.

“Obviously, there has been some interest and it is a great honor to be asked to play for Ireland,” said O’Hara. “I’ll look at in the near future.

“I’ve played for England at U21 level and I’ve always played as an England player. That’s who I wanted to play for growing up.

“It’s just something I’ll have to look at after the World Cup. I’ll sit down and have a discussion with my family, some friends and make a decision.

“I’m English and I’m Irish, so to be asked to play for either is a fantastic honor. I would be proud to wear any of the shirts.

“So when the time is right to make the decision, hopefully I’ll make the right one.”

New signing Kaka became the first player from the Madrid camp to raise his hand and apologize to fans for the poor display. The former AC Milan midfielder joined the La Liga giants with the hope of winning the Champions League on home soil this season, but was left disappointed in himself and his teammates.

“It is a very hard blow for Real Madrid,” said Kaka. “The only thing we can do is ask the fans for forgiveness. We all wanted to play the final in the Bernabeu, and we could not achieve it.

“I have overcome many difficult moments in my career. We are going to get past this one together.

“We created a lot of chances to score, but did not take them. In the Champions League, this will cost you.”

The Brazilian was subbed off in the second half after appearing a very frustrated figure, but the former most expensive player in the world harnesses no anger at the decision.

“I did not like the situation of the game. I was not angry about the change, but the scoreline,” confirmed Kaka.

“I was replaced by Raul, who has a lot of experience in scoring.”

Players receive 10 points for a first place vote, 9 points for a second place vote, down to one point for a 10th place vote.

Here is this week’s ranking:

10 Patrice Evra (Manchester United)

Points: 8

Patrice Evra drops to number 10 in the power rankings this week despite putting in quality performances against Wolves and AC Milan. United have only conceded one goal in their last four matches, and Evra is one of the main reasons why. Evra completely shut down service to the Milan forwards Marco Borriello and Klaas Jan Huntelaar, and with continued solid performances from Evra and Rooney, Manchester United will be a handful for opponents in the Champions League and Premier League.

9 Carlos Tevez (Manchester City)

Points: 8

Carlos Tevez drops from third to ninth place following a week of inactivity for Manchester City. City’s match versus Tottenham was postponed, leaving the Premier League’s fifth leading scorer without anyone to terrorize for the week. City play Sunderland this weekend in what could turn into a scoring contest between Tevez and Darren Bent.

8 Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal)

Points: 10

Bendtner debuts on the power rankings following an incredible hat trick for Arsenal in the Champions League. Bendtner had scored two goals in his last three games prior to the match against Porto, and he continued his scoring ways slotting home the first, second, and last goals in Arsenal’s 5-0 victory.

7 Landon Donovan (Everton)

Points: 10

Yes, that is a United States international making international headlines. Landon Donovan comes in seventh in the power rankings following a fantastic performance for Everton against Hull City. Donovan scored his second goal for Everton and also added an assist, bringing him to three on the season. Everton should and likely will do all they can to keep Donovan around for the rest of the season.

6 Andrei Arshavin (Arsenal)

Points: 11

Andrei Arshavin debuts at the six spot on the Premiership Talk Power Rankings following a fantastic week for the Russian international. First, Arshavin scored his eighth goal of the season in Arsenal’s 3-1 victory over Burnley. Then, Arshavin put in a man of the match performance against FC Porto in the Champions League, providing two assists for his teammates and giving the Porto defense headaches all game long. Arshavin could certainly be a regular on the Power Rankings for the rest of the season.

5 Frank Lampard (Chelsea)

Points: 11

A Chelsea player that was not kept off the score sheet in the 2-0 victory over Stoke City was Frank Lampard. Lampard’s goal in the FA Cup brought him to 16 goals in all competitions for Chelsea this season, and Chelsea will need the midfielder to continue his good run of form if they are going to overtake Manchester United at the top of the table. Lampard now has three goals in his last two games, the kind of scoring rate that will be needed to advance past Inter in the Champions League.

4 Didier Drogba (Chelsea)

Points: 17

Didier Drogba was held off the score sheet in Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over Stoke City in the FA Cup. His 19 goals, however, are still second best in the Premier League, and Drogba will be looking to add to his goal total next week against Inter in the Champions League. With a good performance, look for Drogba to climb up the rankings again.

3 Darren Bent (Sunderland)

Points: 22

Darren Bent explodes onto the Premiership Talk Power Rankings this week following a fantastic hat trick against Bolton in Sunderland’s 4-0 victory. Bent has been fantastic all season, scoring 18 goals in the Premier League this season, good for third best. Bent has rarely featured for the English national team, but with continued production, the 26 year old should be on his way to South Africa.

2 Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)

Points: 24

Fabregas moves up two spots in our ranking this week after scoring his 14th goal of the campaign against Burnley in Arsenal’s 3-1 victory. Fabregas’ inspirational play helped Arsenal briefly jump to the top of the Premier League table. Luckily for the Gunners, Fabregas was seemingly unneeded for Arsenal’s match against Porto, in which Arsenal won 5-0. The Spaniard is currently sidelined with an injury.

1 Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

Points: 40 (4 first place votes)

Wayne Rooney stays atop the power rankings for this week after bringing his goal total for the season to 30 following a brace against AC Milan in the Champions League. Rooney has said he is not chasing Cristiano Ronaldo’s mark of 42 goals, but whether he wants to or not, Rooney is on a great pace to get it.

The Citizens have been very impressive so far this season, and last week’s brilliant 4-2 victory over leaders Chelsea has left the fans and players alike confident of clinching the much sought-after final Champions League spot.

The win was a much needed one as far as Roberto Mancini is concerned, after he saw his side go on an awful run of one win in six prior to the win at Stamford Bridge. The race for fourth is currently anybody’s guess, with City, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Tottenham, and even Everton all looking to earn a place in Europe next term.

After Liverpool’s dismal loss against strugglers Wigan Athletic on Monday night, Harry Redknapp’s Spurs have regained the fourth spot, but the Blue half of Manchester remain favorites after welcoming the return of talisman Carlos Tevez and Craig Bellamy.

Roberto Mancini is confident of his side upsetting the traditional top four, but has urged his side to continue the sort of performance which he enjoyed at the Bridge.

The Italian said “If we can play like Chelsea then we have a good chance. It is important that we continue to perform very well. I have all the players, so if we work well and prepare well, I think we have a good chance.”

With some tough fixtures against the likes of Manchester United, Aston Villa, Arsenal and Everton before the season ends, Mancini’s team will have to be at their best should they clinch a place in Europe next year.

While it may seem that this tie is already beyond the reach of an inconsistent Milan side, you can never say never in the Champions League. It will be a typically nervy midweek night, and if United allow Milan to score in the opening minutes, the visitors might succeed in applying more pressure at United. Without the suspended Michael Carrick and the sidelined Michael Owen as well as Ryan Giggs, United will be relying on their defense to help them shut down any threats that Milan will bring forth. Milan, on the other hand, will need more than Clarence Seedorf’s brilliance to stand any chance of progressing.

Remember, as always, Premiership Talk LIVE events can only be successful when we have an interactive set of fans participating actively in our presentation of the game. Exciting polls, innovative questions, and humorous commentary are only some of the entertaining aspects of our coverage, so make sure that you do not miss even a single bit of the action as it is covered LIVE here at Premiership Talk.

Trailing 2-1 on aggregate, Arsenal hosted Porto at The Emirates on Tuesday for the second leg of their Champions League match-up. But they would not trail for long. Less than ten minutes into the match Bendtner already found the back of the net. Once that happened, the flood gates opened and Arsenal went on an all out attack.

Just fifteen minutes later Bendtner scored yet again, this time from even closer range than the first. Now if the Gunners could just hold the lead then they would be through to the quarterfinals. Not only did they hold the lead – they just kept on extending it.

Although Porto was able to close out the half only down 2-0, that was about the only silver lining Porto fans could find from the match. The second half brought them completely to their knees in surrender.

Halfway through the second half Arsenal struck twice with back-to-back goals in a span of three minutes. The first was an absolutely beautiful goal off the foot of Samir Nasri. He did it all himself with amazing footwork and ball control that had the Porto defenders completely baffled. He finally freed himself almost directly on the touchline, but he still figured out some way to slot the ball into the net from a very acute angle. The second came from a fast paced Arsenal counterattack led by Andrei Arshavin. Arshavin pushed the ball ahead and then found Emmanuel Eboue who quickly dodged the keeper and scored the degrading fourth goal of the day for Arsenal.

Four would be enough for the Gunners, right? Wrong. Remember, Nicklas Bendtner was named the Wednesday Wonder for a reason. A brace doesn’t always cut it nowadays. Bendtner was able to pick up his first professional hat trick in the waning moments of the match when Porto handed the Gunners a penalty.

An all around wonderful day for Bendtner and Arsenal gave Bendtner haters (myself included) reason to pause – at least for now. Bendtner put in a classy and dominant performance for an Arsenal side that was firing on all cylinders on Tuesday. That is why you, Mr. Bendtner, are this week’s Premiership Talk Wednesday Wonder.

The World Cup always brings about some clever and entertaining commercials (usually by Nike), and Pepsi’s first of many captures the excitement of the first World Cup in Africa.

The song chosen for the commercial is Akon’s Oh Africa. Akon collaborated on the song with Keri Hilson, and the single was released as a charity single. Not only do some of football’s biggest stars participate in Pepsi’s commercial, but they are also heavily involved in the song’s official music video.

To see the commercial in all of its glory, simply scroll down and click play. Be sure to leave your thoughts of the commercial below!