John Paintsil of English Premier League club Fulham has been named Footballer of the Year in his home country of Ghana.
The Black Stars defender beat fellow internationals Sulley Muntari of Inter and Petrojet's Eric Bekoe to lift the award presented by the Sports Writers Association of Ghana.
Bekoe, the former Ghanaian top goal scorer, scooped two awards - the Premiership Player of the Year and the Top Scorer for the 2007-08 Premier League season.