( CNN ) -- Yaya Toure 's African reign will stretch into a third year after the Manchester City midfielder was named the continent 's best footballer once again . The Ivory Coast star was crowned Footballer of the Year by the Confederation of African Football at a ceremony in Lagos , Nigeria on Thursday . Toure pipped compatriot Didier Drogba , who plays for Turkish outfit Galatasaray , and Chelsea 's Nigerian midfielder John Obi Mikel to the crown . The 30-year-old becomes only the second player to win three successive titles , emulating Cameroon striker Samuel Eto ' o , who now plays for Chelsea . Voted for by African national team coaches and technical directors , Toure needs only one more title to join Eto ' o in an elite band of players who have won it for times . Toure , formerly of Spanish giants Barcelona , joined Manchester City in 2010 , driving them to the Premier League title in the 2011-12 season . A linchpin of their midfield , the Ivorian has 13 goals to his name already this season as City jostle for another English title , and he was included in the Premier League 's Team of 2013 . He also helped his country qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil , featuring in both legs of the playoff victory over Senegal . In Spain , Real Madrid saw off Osasuna 2-0 in the first leg of their fifth round Spanish Cup tie . With Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale on show , Real took the lead in the first half thanks to a free kick from France striker Karim Benzema . Ronaldo , who is widely expected to be crowned world footballer of the year at FIFA 's Ballon d'Or ceremony in Zurich on Monday , then laid on the second goal for Jese on the hour mark .
Manchester City 's Yaya Toure is named African Footballer of the Year . It is the third time in a row the Ivory Coast midfielder has landed the title . Toure beat Chelsea 's John Obi Mikel and Galatasaray 's Didier Drogba to crown . Real Madrid beat Osasuna 2-0 in first leg of their Spanish Cup fifth round .