Senegal captain Sadio Mane has beaten competition from Egypt’s Mohamed Salah and Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez to be crowned the 2019 African Footballer of the Year.
At an awards ceremony held in Egypt on Tuesday, January 7, the Senegalese was named as successor to his Liverpool FC mate Salah, who has won the award in the past two years.
Despite losing the final of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, settling for Silver for the Teranga Lions, Mane helped his club to the 2018/2019 UEFA Champions League and the 2019 Super Cup as well as the FIFA Club World Cup.
“I am very happy and very proud to win this,” he told the gathering in Hurghada, Egypt, expressing gratitude to his national team mates as well as his coach for the feat.
He becomes the first Senegalese player since El-Hajd Diouf in 2002 to win the award.
Sadio was also named in the CAF Best XI.
Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala beat 2018 winner Thembi Kgatlana and Cameroon’s Ajara Nchout to be named the 2019 African Women’s Footballer of the Year.
It is the fourth time the Barcelona player is winning the accolade, having previously won it in 2014, 2016 and 2017.
African champions Algeria were named the National Team of the Year with captain Mahrez also making it into the continent’s Best XI.
Salah was also named among the Best XI.
CAF Best XI:
Goalkeeper: Andre Onana (Cameroon)
Defenders: Sege Aurier (Ivory Coast), Joel Matip (Cameroon), Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal), Hakimi Achraf (Morocco)
Midfielders: Riyad Mahrez (Algeria), Hakim Ziyech (Morocco) and Gana Gueye (Senegal)
Strikers: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon) Sadio Mané (Senegal) and Mo Salah (Egypt)
Source: 3news.com|Ghana